Unpredictable
by Pillowchan87
Summary: Gon and Killua didn't expect Biscuit to become their trainer again, much less a young girl to become part of the Chimera Ant extermination plan. Now, Isaac Netero's granddaughter refuses to back down from the mission, not when he's risking his life for the sake of humanity. KxOC.
1. Prologue

Hey! Thanks for clicking in my story! Im gonna be honest here: I've been a HUGE fan of FanFiction for a while now but I never got the guts to publish one myself. I've never considered my writing or my ideas good enough to be published but HEY! someone convinced to try it! So, here I am!

This is my first story. At least the first formal story I've ever written as fanfiction. With that being said I would like you to consider a few things:

English is not my first language so if you find any mistakes, I would like you to KINDLY point them out for me to fix them :)

I have a full time job and a I'm a part time student so my time dedicated to writing is limited to a few hours a week. Please bear with me and have patience for me to update if you are looking forward to next chapters. Trust me. The toughest reviewer on my work is myself. On everything in fact. I want everything as perfect as possible.

I have never ever written something in my life except short stories. I have no idea how to plan a decent plot line. If you know how, I'm open to tips, suggestions or anything useful really.

As usual, a little disclaimer: I DO NOT own HxH or anything related to it except the plot changes and my OC.

Please review. As an amateur writer, I'm open to critique and flattery :3 I would like to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.

 **Prologue: Our Story Begins**

"I see… I understand." Isaac Netero was caressing his beard while speaking on the phone. He was admiring the view from a large window on one of the highest floors of The Hunter Association building.

[…]

"Yes, yes. I will take care of it."

[…]

"Ja na."

 **Beep**

"Who was that?" asked a young girl as soon as he hanged up.

"Ehh well I was just assigned a very difficult task." He answered lazily. He then stopped moving his hand up and down his beard and stared deeply in thought at the floor.

"A task? Like a mission?"

"Yes. But is much more than that. People's lives are at risk and it's to be taken care of as soon as possible." He raised his head to stare at the ceiling now. "I should assemble a small group of capable Hunters to assist me. Hmm who could I take with me?" He thought out loud.

The girl frowned. If they asked directly for her grandfather's help, then it must be serious. "What is it about?" She asked while placing her hands behind her back.

Netero looked cautiously at her from the corner of his eyes. He resumed to caress his beard once again. "Apparently some... beasts attacked and devoured humans somewhere and have gained the ability to speak, think as individuals and even develop the ability to use Nen."

She frowned in annoyance. _Whats with that vague information?_

Netero continued with his explanation. "It seems…" He closed his eyes and lowered his hand. "...that an important event will occur in a couple of months. We are to fix the situation before that happens or it will turn to a real headache for me."

 _An important event?_ She considered his words.

"So… You're basically going to make sure they don't mess up." She bent her upper part of her body forward with her arms still on her back. "And if they do mess up, _you_ have to pay for the broken plates?"

"Plates? What are you talking about?" He asked with an innocent smile.

She straightened. "Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."

His smile faded but his eyes still had a glint of amusement, or maybe it was excitement. He started playing with his beard again while he answered "Not quite. They already need _me_. These beasts are really strong and it's dangerous to send more unexperienced Hunters after them. Especially in a place where technology and communication are limited to none." He stopped his movements and lowered his hand as he fell deep in thought once again.

 _Hmm.._ _It sounds fishy._ If the consequences of their failure are severe enough, they would require Netero to deal with them.. maybe even blame him for it.

She eyed his grandfather carefully. _He looks worried… and he isn't telling me much._ He never gets worked up about anything. _What is he hiding?_

She walked towards him. "How long will you be away?" When she was within range, she stretched her arm to grab his hand. "Who will you take with you?"

Netero casually raised his hand back to his beard, missing hers by a few centimeters. He acted as he didn't noticed her intentions.

"Hmm if everything goes as planned, I would hope to be back in two months. If we fail to dispose of the beasts before that deadline …hmmm..." He paced away from her for a few seconds. Then with forced smile and his index finger raised, he answered "I have no idea hehe."

"I-I see."

She eyed him once again. His movements looked natural but she knew better. _He removed his hand on purpose and he is walking away from me to avoid any physical contact._ This only caused her concern to worsened. _Is this task really that dangerous?_ She frowned. _Is he… in mortal danger?_

Her hands became sweaty and she felt a pit on her stomach.

Netero noticed the change on her expression and aura. He felt a pang of guilt on his chest by being distant but he couldn't afford to let her use her power on him. The outcome of this mission was unclear and he didn't want to risk her precious granddaughter to witness something painful or unpleasant.

He resisted the urge to hug her and pat her head. He wished he could tell her everything was gonna be alright, that he would be back to her side in a blink of an eye.

But he couldn't. He has never lied to her and he would not start now.

He looked at her with honest and guilty eyes. "I'm sorry, Kaala… but I can't let you get involved." He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see her face as soon as he says his next words. "That's why, as your grandfather and the Chairman of this association, I'm ordering you to stay away from anything related to this mission."

Her concern turned into shock. Her eyes widen. "WHAT!? No way! I was just about to ask you to take me with you! I can help!"

"Nope." He simply stated as he opened his eyes and walked to the door. "I have enough help already." He placed his hand on the doorknob and closed his eyes halfway. "Please understand. There are enough good Hunters lives at risk. Enough innocent lives at risk."

"Including your own. Right?" His silence answered for him. She was about to step closer but stopped midway. She was scared he would misinterpret her actions and leave. She forced herself to stay where she was. "You know my abilities can save lives! The mission will last at least a couple of months. That's enough time to-"

"Kaala." He interrupted harshly

Her vision became blurry. "You expect me to stay here? Doing _nothing_ and waiting _for months_ for news if you made it back alive or not? You're not even telling me everything!"

He didn't say anything. Once again, silence confirmed her fears.

She sobbed. "That's not fair…"

Netero felt very conflicted on how to deal with the situation. He tried to liven up the mood to stop Kaala's tears.

He flashed her with his goofy smile. "Hohoho I know, I know. But life is not fair." He took a quick glance at her. As expected, she didn't find it slightly amusing.

She stood there with her arms falling on her sides, her hands clenched tightly into fists and a expression of hurt and anger. Tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.

He sighed and finally opened the door. "Find something to do. Do missions. Train. Go fight in Heaven's Arena. Anything to distract you from your worries." His face turned dead serious again. "But I'm not changing my mind. Stay away from any mission related to this one. Got it?"

She didn't answer. She felt betrayed.

Netero stared at her for a few seconds. "Take care."

"You too…" she whispered.

He went out room and closed the door behind him.

Kaala couldn't sleep that night. She went over Netero-jiisan's words over and over again in her head while laying on her back on the bed.

She felt miserable and lonely.

She thought of what he said, the little information he provided, the deadline, the Hunters he might take with him, of what kind of beasts could do what Netero-jiisan described…

And she made a choice.

She dried her eyes with the back of her hand, took a deep breath and brought both hands up to her face to slap her cheeks at the same time. Calmed down and with her feelings and thoughts in check, she began to plan her next steps. _Ok. First things first._

She replayed the whole scene in her head and realized her grandfather had revealed some things unintentionally.

 _The place he's going is far away and technology is almost inexistent. The beasts are strong and big enough to kill and eat a human and somehow capable of… absorbing new abilities from their prey?_

It wasn't much but enough to know where to start looking.

Morning came as sunlight brighten her room through the windows she didn't bothered to close yesterday. _Just in time._

She sat up, took her Hunter License from her pocket and ran outside without hesitating. _I need information._

Luckily for Kaala, as a Hunter she had access to a great amount of information. Money wasn't an issue. And if necessary, she could use her Hatsu as an extreme measure.

She ran down the street as adrenaline kicked in. She felt energized even after pulling an all-nighter.

 _Netero-jiisan might have warned some Hunters at the Association not to get close to me. Especially those who might go with him to wherever he's going. Maybe ordered another bunch to report any suspicious movements I make._

It didn't matter.

Her Zetsu was good. She was a terrible liar but she could handle a few fake alibi's if she practiced enough. She had more than enough money for traveling and basic needs… or even bribe if necessary. Kaala could even threaten someone if she used her abilities correctly but she doubted she would have to resort to those kinds of measures. Those kind of things were _not_ her thing.

Despite all of that, she felt confident and unstoppable.

 _I won't go down without a fight, grandfather._


	2. Meeting X New X Allies

**Part 1**

 **Change of Plans**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Meeting X New X Allies**

* * *

Not too far from NGL, a village was blessed with a bright sun and blue skies, warming its citizens who lived in peace and prosperity. Two young boys were walking down a street while chatting, one of them playing with two pieces of wood marked with ink on one hand.

"They work as proof that you're an ally or to authenticate a document" explained the silver haired 14-year-old.

Killua remembered Netero's words as he explained what those two pieces of wood were for. He threw them up in the air as he continued.

"In this case, each of the two assassins holds one matching token". He catched both pieces with a flick of his hand. "We defeat them and take the tokens"

The other young boy with black and green hair remained silent the rest of the way while processing this new information.

When they finally arrived to their destination, they checked the chalkboard in the middle of the room. The message that was left for them yesterday, was erased.

"You must be Killua and Gon"

They turned to find a creepy woman with really long, black, curly hair and lazy eyes emitting a strange and hostile aura. Her hands were awkwardly clutching her pink dress while she introduced herself with a raspy voice.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Palm. It's a pleasure."

The boys flinched and sharpened their senses. It was clear to Palm they were confused and didn't trust her. She offered a better explanation while drinking some tea in a nearby shop.

Palm revealed she was Knov's apprentice while she added an incredibly and unhealthy amount of sugar to her coffee. She had offered her help for the mission in NGL but ultimately she was left behind since Knov assumed she would get in his way.

Gon and Killua were suddenly uncomfortable with her abrupt changes of topic and random talk about Knov and her feelings for his teacher, but finally they got the information they were waiting for: they needed to defeat Knuckle and Shoot.

"Knuckle and Shoot are Morel's students. They, too, received a condition. I don't know what that condition was, but whether it's us or them, only one group will be allowed into NGL. The deadline" she lifted her index finger "is one month."

Gon and Killua remained silent and nervous. Their victory meant the only way for the three of them to assist in NGL.

They gulped. They have to win. For Kite's sake.

* * *

That afternoon, after witnessing one of Morel's students making a fool of himself by challenging Gon and Killua and screaming in the middle of the road, Killua went for lunch with his best friend.

They analyzed their strategy and discussed the best way to increase their chances of winning a battle. Killua remembered Morel's message back at the NGL border: In a Nen battle, nothing is certain. You can't judge a fight by who has the stronger Nen.

Killua played with a meatball on his plate. _That's stupid. If you are not certain you can win, why even bother?_ He took the meatball with his fork. _You need at least 50% chance. If possible, greater than 70% chance is preferable._ He ate the whole thing in one bite.

Killua proceeded to explain to Gon the two things they had to do: work on their fundamentals and learn about their opponents' abilities.

Gon frowned while sipping his drink. "I'm half agreed and half opposed."

Killua looked at him with a questioning look.

"I think we should work on our fundamentals, but I don't think we need to know about their abilities."

"That would only increase our chances of defeat" He pointed at the young Hunter with his fork. " _Why_ wouldn't you want to know your opponent's abilities?"

"But that's what we'll be facing in NGL." He moved his body forward as he made his point "In other words, we must be strong enough to defeat enemies we know nothing about."

Killua didn't move for a few seconds as he thought. He sunk in his chair. _Damn it. Can't argue with that logic. He's right._

* * *

They finished eating and left the restaurant to rendezvous with Palm at the address they were given.

After some walking, they found the place.

As Gon was opening the door to a hotel room, he frowned in determination.

"One week. In one week we'll be stronger and heading back to NGL!"

Killua looked at Gon like he was crazy.

"Go-"

 **SLAM**

Gon was sent flying by a punch on his face and hit the wall in the back.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT!?"

They turned to look at the young, blonde woman wearing a pink and white dress with her hands at her hips while staring angrily at them.

"EH!? BISKY!?" both of them said at the same time. "Why are you here?"

Palm appeared from the back of the room and calmly answered for her. "I asked her to come."

Since they were again confused, Palm explained she used her power to check their backgrounds and contact their former trainer. Although neither of them knew what her power was yet, they quickly dismissed their question when Palm started to darkly rush them to start training.

Suddenly, they heard another feminine voice.

"Oh, are these Knuckle's and Shoot's opponents?"

A young brunette appeared next to Palm. She looked the same age as Killua and Gon, wore a long and tight dark purple shirt with no sleeves and a polo shirt neck, khaki pants that went down right below her knees and a pair of matching color dark purple Mary Jane shoes. In her back she had two short swords she obviously uses as her weapons. Her long light brown hair was tied in a half ponytail and went down right below her shoulders. Her eyes were light turquoise.

Killua looked at her curious face, watching them and he wondered who the heck was she. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable in her presence... but he didn't know why and it bothered him.

Gon, curious and surprised as well, had a completely different reaction.

"Yeah, that's us. I'm Gon. Gon Freecss"

She blinked. "Eh? Freecss?" asked the girl while she widened her eyes in surprise. "No way! Are you related to Ging Freecss?"

"You know my dad!?"

"Your DAD!? Ging is a father?". She just couldn't believe it. _That useless moron has a son!?_

While both of them chatted, Palm was in the back of the room, playing with her fingers impatiently.

"How come you know him?" He raised his arms to exaggerate his next statement. "He's supposed to be really hard to find."

She made a bored expression as she recalled her previous interactions with Ging. "Oh, I've actually met him several times."

She realized she hadn't even introduced herself. "I'm Kaala Netero. I'm always at the Hunter Association Building and I usually meet many Hunters every year. Including your dad."

It was Gon and Killua's turn to look surprised.

"Netero!? Like in Chairman Netero?" asked the silver-haired boy.

Kaala rubbed the back of her head while looking a little embarrassed.

Bisky placed her hands on her hips. "She's the Chairman's granddaughter." She shook her head in disapproval. "Mattaku, you two really don't know anything of your own organization do you?"

Killua rested his hands on the back of his head "I don't care much for that stuff".

Gon scratched the side of his cheek with a guilty face "I'm sorry hehe"

Palm was now shaking and her eyes turned to red dots behind her thick hair. But no one noticed her change.

Kaala turned to Killua with a smile. "And you are?"

Killua turned and eyed her suspiciously, still wondering why he still finds something is off with her. His instincts were telling him she wasn't to be trusted, even as the Chairman's granddaughter.

Or maybe that's the very same reason he shouldn't trust her.

People too deeply involved in such powerful organizations, such as the Hunter Association, always get involved in complicated issues.

Some of them public, many of them secret.

He knows that. He's done assassination jobs for powerful people that have paid incredible amounts of money for secrecy or for following very specific instructions to make it look like an accident or even worse, make look the client's enemy did it.

Killua can proudly say, he has never failed on those kinds of jobs.

He didn't think the Hunter Association needed to hire assassins, but that doesn't mean they don't have any dark secrets. Assassinations are just the tip of the iceberg.

All of this went through the former assassin's mind considering her very powerful name. He still wasn't convinced that was the reason though, and decided he would dwell on it later. Right now, he should focus on training and getting to NGL.

Kaala could feel his untrusting aura towards her. She was about to give up on him introducing himself when he suddenly spoke.

"I'm Killua" He looked away. "Killua Zoldyck".

Taken a little by surprise, she smiled and replied "Nice to meet you then." She turned to Gon. "Both of you"

Something snapped inside Palm. She had had enough. She lost her patience. No one knows where it came from but she suddenly had knife in her hand and started to emit a very dark aura.

"SHOULDN'T YOU TWO BE TRAINING!? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSE TO DESTROY MOREL'S STUDENTS!?"

Everyone in the room sweatdropped and shook in fear at Palm's rage. Bisky nervously spoke first.

"S-saa! Everyone! Le-let's start training!" Followed by a nervous laugh.

Kaala decided to just observe since that is the only thing she could do right now. At the end of this month, a team would be chosen. She didn't really care who won but she wanted to make sure the strongest Hunters were the ones to assist her grandfather.

What really matters to her is to get to NGL if the Queen gives birth to the King,

Despite her best efforts to foretell his birth, she found no way to confirm it without exposing herself to her grandfather's snitchers.

She had to wait for the right moment to act since Netero-jiisan can't know about her intentions of participating in the extermination of the Chimera Ants.

Kaala frowned as she remembered their last talk. She usually follows his orders and instructions...

But not this time. This time, she will not sit and wait or do what she's expected to do.

She remembered where she was when she heard Gon's cry of pain. She shook her head and left that matter aside for now to focus on her grandfather's prospects.

 _Let's see what they've got._

Right after Biscuit hit Gon, this time on the head, she continued where she left off with her lecture.

"That old man is famous for his nasty nature. If he tells you to do something in a month, it probably should take an entire year"

Kaala had a hard time containing her laughter towards that comment. Biscuit was right. Her grandfather can be such a bully sometimes, just to have some fun out of other people's struggles. She felt a weird mixture of happiness and sadness at the same time when thinking about him.

After Gon's anecdote about Kite and the Chimera Ant incident, Kaala had a small understanding of their personalities. _Gon is rather impulsive and naive, but honest and strong-willed. Killua is composed and calculating but he may over analyze the situation and get agitated easily._

Biscuit told them to keep their Ren active for 3 hours straight. Kaala made a disgusted face. _Ah. I remember when I had to do that for the first time. It was not pleasant._ Another memory came to her mind, and the sad-happy sentiment with it.

 _Mou, stop doing that to yourself!_

While Gon and Killua focused on their task, she decided to distract herself by analyzing her encounter with the silver-haired Hunter. _His intuition is good. He doesn't trust me._

She didn't mention anything when she heard his last name but she knows who the Zoldycks are. Why there is a Zoldyck out in broad daylight, befriending people and risking his life unnecessarily, she had no idea. They are famous for being cold and strongly loyal to themselves and themselves only.

That made him very interesting. She wanted to know how the heck a cold-blooded assassin ended up close friends with such a soft natured Hunter like Gon.

Gon Freecss. He was interesting too. She never knew Ging had a son. _That moron. Who could ever be with that impulsive, arrogant idiot?_ She raised her eyes to look at him. _He really looks like him now that I think about it._

She sighed. The were indeed interesting, but not even close to Knuckle and Shoot's level.

 _They won't win._

Time passed by and Gon faltered, followed not too long after by Killua. They didn't even last an hour.

Biscuit just told them to keep working and she kept on reading.

Gon glanced over Kaala while gasping for air and then turned to Biscuit with an innocent, curious face while pointing at the brunette with his index finger.

"Why isn't Kaala training with us? Isn't she here to train for the mission too?"

Biscuit was about to answer but Killua was faster. "Gon, can't you tell?" He said between shallow breaths.

Gon looked at Killua confused.

"She doesn't need training." He closed his eyes while pointing at Kaala with his thumb. "Her Nen control is incredible.."

"Eeeeeh? Really? I can tell she is strong but I didn't think there was such a big gap between us". He turned to Kaala with an admiring face.

Kaala placed her hands behind her back and made an apologizing smile. "Sorry Gon, I'm just a spectator for the time being. I do intend to go to NGL though but please" she raised her index finger to her lips "keep it a secret. At least for now."

"A secret? Keep it from whom?"

She straightened and answered with a serious face. "Anyone who isn't in this room."

Killua's expression darkened. _Is this it? Is this why I don't trust her?_ He took a moment to check on his instincts. _No. It's something else._

Even so, he decided he wanted more information on the matter. "What about them?" He pointed at Bisky and Palm.

Kaala turned to the black haired woman. "Palm said that as long as I don't intervene in your training, she won't say a thing." She turned to Bisky with a guilty face. "She...well..."

"It's not my place to mess with family matters." She simply finished for her.

Gon and Killua were surprised by her rough statement. _Was Bisky mad at her?_ After a few seconds, Gon broke the silence. "Alright. I promise I won't reveal your secret."

Kaala sighed in relief. She looked at Killua.

"It's not my business either so… I won't say a thing."

Kaala looked pleased and thankful. She turned to Gon. "Thanks." Then to Killua. "To both of you, thank you"

Killua felt his cheeks get hot and looked away.

Biscuit clapped twice and then placed her hands on her hips ". Ok ok. Enough chatting! Get back to work". She took her magazine while Gon and Killua resumed their Ren training.

Kaala didn't have anything better to do and so she placed herself right next to Killua.

"You know what? I could use some training too. We'll be here for a month. I better not get rusty or lazy while we're here".

She activated her Ren and Killua wondered if he could last as long she could.

Many hours later he realized how wrong he was while lying on the floor, gasping for air next to Gon who was even asleep. He felt a breeze and opened his eyes to find himself being fanned by Kaala. Too tired to even talk, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the gesture until he also fell asleep. _Damn it._

* * *

 **kigamin:** Thank you for your support! I'm so happy you found it interesting! I checked out your profile and found your Poisined Amaryllis story. I'll definitely read it sometime! I read the first chapter and you write like a pro so I'll try to pick up some good stuff for myself!

 **Vere:** You are good with endings!? I'm not sure I can say the same thing! If you got any tips for me I would love to hear them :) I feel flattered that I impressed you! ^/^ I hope I can meet your expectations!

That was chapter 1! Hope you liked it and want more. Please review :)

BTW! I forgot to mention this story is only based in the 2011 anime. Maybe a bit from the manga (DC arc) but I'm not even sure I'll be going there since the manga it's on hiatus…. Again.

That's it for now. Thank you for reading and I hope you're hungry for more!


	3. Meeting X New X Rivals

Hello there! Chapter 2 coming right up!

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 2**

 **Meeting X New X Rivals**

* * *

The next morning, Gon and Killua felt like new. Little they knew that Biscuit had used Cookie-chan to help them recover.

Palm, started to worry about their capacity to defeat Knuckle and Shoot and warned them about her temper and the consequences if they weren't able to keep their promise of taking her to NGL.

"Don't worry! We've got this!" replied Gon a little too cheerfully to a threat.

 _They clearly don't take Palm's warning seriously._ Thought Kaala while sweatdropping.

Palm felt her chest squeeze at Gon's determination and turned away with a slight blush on her cheeks. Kaala and Biscuit noticed this and shivered.

 _Oh god… I don't know which Palm is creepier._ Both of them thought.

While they resumed their training, Palm composed herself and explained that Netero's team would be 'poking and probing' the enemy. The estimated time for the King to be born is of 2 months, and they would use that time to learn about them as much as possible, weakening their forces and eventually reach the Queen to dispose of her.

The three of them gulped. They were hoping everything went smoothly, especially Kaala. _Don't you dare die at the hands of a small fry, grandfather._

And so, that same evening, the first part of the mission started.

Killua and Gon dropped exhausted on the carpet. They barely managed to maintain their Ren for 3 hours the day after.

"We finally... did it"

"We... lasted ...3 hours"

 _Ehhh. The actually accomplished it quite fast._ Kaala was impressed and proud of both of them. "Congratulations guys"

Killua and Gon managed a small smile between gasps, but their relief was short.

Biscuit stood up from her seat and clapped her hands twice. "Ok. Stand up. We're going out."

Killua raised his head. "HAH!? Where to?"

Biscuit smiled. "To see Knuckle".

They both sat up on a quick movement. Killua was the first to ask again "EH!? why?"

"Isn't it obvious? To fight him!"

They all exchanged an astonished look.

And so they went out.

They found Knuckle on a field playing with a puppy. As soon as Knuckle saw them, he looked clearly displeased to see kids as his opponents. The young Hunters noticed how his hair and his clothes resembled those of a criminal.

"Yo! Knuckle!" called Kaala while she ran towards him with a beaming smile on her face.

"Oh! Kaala? What are you doing here?" Knuckle asked puzzled. He took a look at the two boys in the back with a cold stare and a vein popped on his temple. Oh how pissed he was.

Kaala was about to hug him when she suddenly remembered her plan. _Oops! Almost forgot._ She stopped just a few steps away from him. _Just to be safe_.

Knuckle noticed her sudden change of heart but didn't seem surprised by it.

"Just killing boredom. I heard my grandfather's prospects were quite interesting and I came here to see your fights". That comment sounded authentic because it was. Kaala knew lying wasn't her forte so she decided to lie as little as possible without revealing anything major. She just had to twist the truth a little.

Knuckle stared shortly at her, not completely convinced. _Netero mentioned this could happen._

She lifted her index finger and gestured him to get close. When he did, she whispered. "I think they are no match for you but", she smiled in a challenging way "don't underestimate them".

Knuckle scoffed at that. He straightened himself and walked towards the boys with his arms crossed. "If I'm being compared to a couple of kids, they must not think I'm very strong…"

He stopped right in front of them and delivered a very intimidating lecture. After a few tears shed by Knuckle and an insulting offer of punching him as a handicap, Killua was annoyed at his attitude. Gon was angry by his offer and at the same time, at himself.

 _We can't argue with him. He's right: we're not at his level._

"Alright." Gon walked over to Knuckle. "I won't stop hitting you until you move".

"Just get to it".

Gon got in position without hesitating.

"Saisho wa guu…."

His fist shined brightly with Nen as he charged his signature move. Knuckle felt the intense aura slowly increasing. _Whoa whoa whoa! That's cheating!_

"Jan… Ken… GUUU!"

Knuckle suddenly was pushed back and after a few seconds, he dramatically fell unconscious.

The three of them just stared at him.

"What's with him?" asked Gon.

Killua closed his eyes halfway and placed his hands on his hip. Kaala was beaming and she clasped her hands behind her back. They both answered: "Obviously, he's a total idiot".

The three of them stared at Knuckle's sleeping form.

"Well, idiot or not, we can't leave him here". Gon got close to Knuckle and tried to put him on a sitting position by pulling up one of his arms.

"Hold on. Gon, you take his torso and I'll carry his legs." Gon placed his hands under Knuckle's armpits and Killua placed himself between his feet and took one leg with each hand.

"1...2...3!" They lifted the Beast Hunter and started walking.

Kaala looked around her like she was looking for something. "I think there was a puppy with him." She turned to them. "I'm gonna look for it or else he'll never forgive us. You guys head back first."

"You sure? We can help."

"It's fine. It's probably somewhere around here. Don't worry Gon."

He thought for a moment. "Ok... If you say so"

"Just go already. He looks heavy."

Killua looked at Gon exasperated. "He is!"

"Gomen, gomen! Let's go."

Kaala waited until they were out of range and activated her En.

The dog was sniffing around the place, not too far. _There you are._ She didn't find anything or anyone else in the area. Shoot wasn't around either.

 _Good._ She took a deep breath and let the air out through her mouth. O _k_. She closed her eyes.

A few seconds passed. A breeze chilled her skin and blew her hair softly.

She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of colorful iris instead of the usual turquoise ones. It looked like the universe was inside her eyes and seen through a kaleidoscope.

"Announcement from God"

* * *

The next morning, Knuckle woke up in a room he didn't recognize and found Killua, Gon and Kaala training their Ren. He was surprised to find the token inside his pocket and asked why they didn't take it and left him behind.

Gon's face turned serious "We don't want your token. We want the strength to defeat you in a straight-up fight."

In that moment, Kaala realized she slightly misjudged Gon: he is more mature than he looks.

After Knuckle described his reasons for becoming a Beast Hunter, a small dog appeared at his feet in the bed, wagging his tail happily.

Gon smiled. "They say good Hunters are well-liked by animals"

Knuckle felt his chest go tight and his eyes get watery. He looked deeply into the puppy's eyes and finally broke down in tears.

"S-Stupid! I'm not crying! Don't tell anyone! Or I'll kill you!" He cried while rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

Gon and Killua watched their opponent showing a very soft side of him when just yesterday he was intimidating and mocking them.

The atmosphere was light and pleasant. The three prospects were grateful for having such great adversaries. They kept training and chatting. Their rivalry forgotten.

Despite her worries, Kaala felt at ease and at home.

* * *

During lunch, Knuckle broke the silence with his mouth full. "Come challenge me whenever you want"

The young boys raised their eyes from their plates to Knuckles eyes. "Eh?"

The Beast Hunter swallowed. "I'll give you as many tries as you want. But it's impossible for you to beat me in the twenty days left".

Killua knew that last sentence was a mistake. If there was something Gon couldn't resist, was someone underestimating him. Knuckle, with those words, just did it twice in two days.

"Knuckle" interrupted Kaala while showing an amused and challenging smile. "Remember what I told you yesterday". She took a bite.

He looked at Gon's determined expression for a few seconds. Then he turned to Killua's calmed but equally fierce face. Finally, he closed his eyes while lowering his head. "I haven't forgotten."

The tension became thick in the room and everyone felt their skin tingling with excitement.

* * *

As promised, Knuckle accepted Gon's challenge once again in the afternoon.

That night, Shoot observed their fight from the shadows. He noticed Kaala was there too. _She's here, as Netero predicted._

The fight began and ended as expected.

Right after Knuckle's victory, Shoot walked away in the darkness.

He wasn't as kind as Knuckle to give the other boy so many opportunities to take his token. He wasn't particularly interested in getting involved in Netero's personal affairs either, at least not any more than he already is. He agreed to grant him one favor. That's it. It's not even final if he's involvement will be required.

He stopped for a moment as he imagined what would Netero do to him if he fails in his task. He started sweating and shaking. Afraid he might suffer the Chairman's wrath.

After all, Shoot is a coward.

~~Several days later~~

Once again, they found themselves training their Ren in the living room, but Kaala noticed the boys needed less and less effort each time. They were even talking as if they didn't realize their Ren was active.

"You know, now I see what my grandfather saw in you." She interrupted. Killua and Gon turned to look at her.

She placed her hands behind her back. "You two are very… passionate, I would say. You do your best no matter what and you support each other until you achieve your goals."

Gon beamed at this. "That's right! I wouldn't have been able to accomplished many things if it wasn't for Killua." He turned to look at his best friend.

Killua's eyes widen in embarrassment and his cheeks turned red. "I-Idiot! Why are you saying that out loud!? " He looked away. "It's embarrassing!"

"But it's true! I wouldn't even have my Hunter License if you weren't there for me!"

Killua raised his hands to cover his ears. His cheeks turned even redder. "Ah! Gon, stop talking! I get it!"

Kaala laughed as Gon kept saying more things that embarrassed him. His reaction was so amusing considering he was suppose to be a serious and emotionless killer. _Is he really a Zoldyck?_

When Biscuit heard her students' laugh, she peeked over her magazine and found them chatting while easily maintaining their Ren active for two hours now. She glanced at Kaala.

She knew this training wasn't really a challenge for her. She is Netero's granddaughter after all. That crazy old man opened her aura nodes when she was just 6 years old and trained her in all major principles and advanced techniques of Nen ever since. _He really likes to go overboard._

Biscuit imagined all kinds of training methods Netero must have tested on Kaala. She knows he isn't cruel, especially on his only known relative, if you could call her that. Few people knew Kaala isn't really blood related to him.

That doesn't mean she isn't the apple of his eye.

That love is actually the reason he trained her so hard. _He wants her to be strong. To be able to fight and defend herself and her loved ones._ And that way, Kaala became what she is now.

A Nen control master.

She isn't as strong or as skilled as Biscuit of course, but for her age, she's incredibly talented.

Her Hatsu was impressive to be honest, but it was obvious she didn't develop it to fight. Those two swords are to compensate her lack in fighting abilities and strength.

She looked at Gon and Killua and felt very proud of their improvement on these past couple of days. Kaala's presence might have helped to motivate them a little. _I must reveal their weaknesses soon if I want them to defeat Knuckle and Shoot. We don't have much time left._

She suddenly felt a chill running up her spine. She slowly turned to look at Palm who was holding a knife in a very menacing way. A sweat drop ran down her head. _I-I should be planning my escape._

During a very unpleasant lunch soured by Palm, Gon promised her with a pinky swear that they will definitely defeat Knuckle. Palm blushed at this and proceeded to answer Gon's questions about her delicious food.

Kaala looked surprised. "Gon's getting really good at handling Palm lately." She commented to the other two Hunters.

Biscuit then raised her cup to her lips. "Ten days left." She took a sip.

Killua looked at her with an annoyed face. "Don't say that like a countdown to our death!"

~~Several days later~~

"Hai! That's 3 hours!" Biscuit clapped twice.

"Oh? Really?" said the white haired Hunter as he stretched his arms.

"That seemed fast." replied the other young Hunter while squatting and stretching his leg.

The afternoon came really quick for all of them.

Kaala sighed relieved. The month was almost over and the final battle with Knuckle and Shoot was almost here. Honestly, she would be thrilled to see Gon and Killua win after all their hard work but unfortunately…

She knew the outcome already.

On the bright side, she managed to keep the fight itself as a mystery and she was sure it was gonna be good. _I'm really looking forward to it! I hope Gon can make Knuckle sweat!_

So far, everything was going as planned. There were no news of the king's birth and they had another month to slay the queen and the rest of the ants. No one has gotten in her way since she left the Hunter's Association Building.

She should be happy. Everything was going smoothly. All was within what she considered might happen.

Everything except Gon and Killua.

She wanted to meet the two young Hunters that earned her grandfather's high expectations and was surprised when she found out they were practically the same age as her. The funny thing is: she wasn't bothered by it.

Kaala could tell that even though their Nen wasn't anything impressive, their experience in fights and near death situations were in a completely different level than hers. Her curiosity was well founded.

She was curious, yes, but she had another motive: _stay close to those who have the information I need._ The hard part, she thought, was convincing Palm and Biscuit. Exceptionally, it wasn't hard at all. After that she just needed to befriend the two Hunters.

But Kaala didn't take something into account: she gets incredibly attached to people too easily. She cares too fondly for her friends and family. And now, Gon and Killua were definitely growing on her.

That habit of hers was a blessing and a curse. Having the people you love around you was ecstatic and wonderful but she would get incredibly nervous and worried at any negative thing they might experience.

Maybe that's how she came up with the idea of her abilities. To shield them from any upcoming harm and suffering and to share the burdens of their past.

 _Well, grandfather always says he is surprised I'm not a Manipulator with my highly protective nature._

And now she was totally considering those two silly Hunters as her brothers.

All this time they have spent together was nice. Fun. Warm. They laughed together, they teased each other and joked around together. She even forgot about their purpose of training several times. She could swear Killua forgot about his suspicion on her a few times as well. Their chats and talks could be about something really silly or something really deep. Their personalities so different but so compatible at the same time.

She felt sad just thinking about the moment they would have to part ways.

Kaala shook her head. _Now's not the time to think about that. Don't get ahead of yourself._

She breathed in deeply and followed the guys out of the hotel after a quick rest. Gon and Killua unaware of her thoughts.

 _NOTHING is written in stone._ Kaala thought as she walked out the door.

* * *

The sky turned dark as they approached their usual fighting spot. And as always, he was waiting for them. Ready.

With a rough start for Gon, Knuckle obviously wasn't giving him any opportunity to use his technique and claimed it was flawed.

Killua's eyes in surprise. _It's flawed?_

Knuckle continued with his explanation. He raised his hand and lifted two fingers. "It has two weaknesses." A tense silence followed as Killua and Gon waited for his statement.

The Beast Hunter stared at his opponent as he realized something. "By the way Gon. What did you name that technique?"

Suddenly, Gon felt incredibly stupid. _Oops! I forgot to name my attack!_ He tried to remain cool while he thought of what to say. "Ja-Janken!"

Killua and Kaala looked unimpressed. "Wow, zero effort".

But Knuckle gasped in admiration and raised his hand to hold his chin with his thumb and index finger. "Jajanken. I understand. You combined the words 'Ta-dah!' and Rock Paper Scissors."

 _Ah no… it was actually a stutter._ Thought Gon while a sweat drop ran down his head.

"Not a bad name, kid!" Yelled Knuckle.

Kaala covered her mouth and shook while trying to contain her laughter. Killua facepalmed. He couldn't believe how dumb Knuckle was.

Knuckle resumed his explanation as he raised, once again, two fingers in the air. "Gon, your Jajanken has two huge weaknesses."

He lowered one finger and pointed at Gon. "First, it takes too long to charge. Second, it's too risky!"

Gon increased his aura. "I know the risks. That's why I've spent the past month training to compensate for them!"

Knuckle was impressed with the amount of aura he was displaying but Gon still lacked something important: _experience._

He got ready to attack and in a strong dash he rapidly closed the space between them.

Knuckle examined Gon as they fought.

The young Hunter took a punch to the face _. He hasn't been in many real fights._

Knuckle kicked him in the stomach. _His aura is too rough._

He broke Gon's defense easily and shot an uppercut to his chin _. He's too predictable._

After a fair amount of damage taken, Gon was tired and beat up, but managed to trick Knuckle with his _Paper_ technique and snuck behind him.

Killua held his breath as he witnessed Gon's opportunity to win happen right there and then.

With his _Rock_ charged and ready, Gon got in position, aimed at Knuckle's back and…

...fell unconscious.

Killua's optimism and anticipation faded. Knuckle turned to look at Gon, relieved that his aura depleted right before his attack.

Killua walked over to his friend and lifted him in a piggyback. Gon did his best, but it was not enough for tonight's fight. They were going home.

Kaala ran to Killua's side while waving Knuckle goodbye.

He waved back and after he lowered his arm, he sighed deeply.

 _I got lucky today._ _Kaala was right_. He lifted his face to look at the sky. _I can't underestimate them._

* * *

Silence took over for some minutes on their way back to the hotel. The sound of crickets hidden in the dark and the footsteps of two young people were the only thing keeping the atmosphere from being completely quiet.

Killua glanced at Kaala from the corner of his eyes. If he wanted to find out what was going on with her, now's the time. He wanted to find the source of his suspicion.

"Why are trying to get to NGL?"

Kaala turned her head in surprise. She didn't expect much interaction with him tonight. She could tell his mood was terrible.

"Why are you asking me? We've been around each other for a month and you still don't trust me. From your point of view, I could be lying."

 _So she knew._

"You're right but I don't think you would deceive me. I think my lack of trust lies on your abilities. Not your honesty."

"Oho! You really are a Zoldyck!" She replied cheerfully.

Killua blushed slightly at this but it faded as he realized something.

"Wait, you knew I was part of a family of assassins!?"

She looked at him offended. "Of course I did. You have to live under a rock to not know that."

Killua faced forwards again. He wasn't in the mood to speak about his family and decided to change the topic.

"So what are you doing here exactly?"

"I…" She kept walking looking at her feet. "I want to protect Netero-jiisan, but…" She didn't finished her thought.

"He's the strongest person in the Association. Maybe the world. I doubt anyone can protect him. I doubt he even needs protection."

She tensed. She didn't want to hear those words. He might be strong but he's not invincible.

"I know I can help. And I just want to get there IF the king is born. I read about them. The Chimera Ants. The King is the most powerful one. He is the one that worries me, not the workers. Besides, I don't need to be in the fight."

She turned to look at him. Her expression sad but determined. "I just have to touch grandfather for a minute, or visit the place where the battle will be. That's all I need."

Killua didn't quite understand. "I don't know what you mean but I'm guessing your old man doesn't want you near NGL or him if that's the case. Am I right?"

"...yes"

"That's why you being here is suppose to be a secret."

"...yeah, but I'm starting to think it's pointless to keep it a secret. Netero-jiisan is not that dumb. He knows I'm after him. "

"What about Knuckle and Shoot?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm guessing he might have told them to stop me if I tried anything."

She stretched her arms upwards. "Anyways, no use in worrying about it. Their abilities are really troublesome, but I think I can handle them. Maybe."

Killua wondered what their abilities were, but Gon and him had decided not to research about them. His curiosity could not be satisfied right now, so he didn't ask. Instead, he chose to ask about hers.

"So what are your abilities?"

She was silent for a few seconds. He looked at her as he waited for an answer.

"You really wanna know?" She asked with a teasing smile.

 ** _Doki_**

 _Di-Did my heart just skipped a beat!? C'mon Killua, you are a cold blooded assassin. Get a grip!_

He faced forwards again as he closed his eyes. He didn't want to admit it but he lost his cool for a second there. "Ju-just tell me, already." He sounded more annoyed than he actually was.

She raised her arms, palms outwards in front of her in defense. "Alright, alright." She lowered them back to the sides of her body. "You see… I can see past and future events."

Killua stopped on his tracks. She kept walking, unaware he halted.

"And that's not all. I can also see what will occur in front me 3 seconds before it actually happens." Kaala noticed he was being left behind and stopped. "It comes with many conditions and limitations though. I can only see events related to the person or object I touch or the place I'm standing on."

Killua's face was unreadable as he was processing this. _That's why she needs to get to NGL, or to that old man._

Kaala continued. "I can only channel my ability to see a past event through the same person, object or place once every 30 days. The same goes for the future."

Killua remained silent for a few moments. "You can predict anything?"

Kaala placed her hands behind her back and closed her eyes as a soft breeze swayed her hair. "No quite. I must know what kind of event I'm looking for or the exact moment in time that I want to see."

She opened her eyes and looked at Killua. "For example, if I wanted to know what happened in this exact place 3 years ago, I could."

Killua gasped in amazement at this.

"But, if I want to see a future event in this same spot without knowing what exactly or when it will happen, my power would not work. The same applies to objects or people."

Killua resumed walking while he thought for a moment. "What about memories? Do you have to remember something for it to work on someone?"

Kaala walked beside him again. "No. You just had to be there and I'll be able to see the event. Time is objective and unmovable. At least in the past. The future is way more complicated."

Killua went quiet again. Kaala could almost listen to his gears turning as he thought.

She laughed. "If you're so interested, I can simply tell you everything. I don't mind. No need to interrogate me."

She raised one finger. "My ability to see the past is called 'Chrono's Blessing'." She raised a second one. "My ability to see the future is called 'Announcement from God'." She raised a third and final finger. "And my ability to see 3 seconds in the future is called 'Kairo's Promise'."

Killua, with eyes wide as plates, was once again, lost in thought. _No wonder I didn't trust her. She can find any piece of information she wants! The things she could prevent! The things she could cause!_

Kaala stiffened as she saw his expression. Did she scare him? She wouldn't blame him. People avoid being near her to prevent her from 'stealing' any personal information. Like she even wants it.

"Su-Sugoi… your abilities are really powerful." he said quietly and truly amazed.

She shrugged happily at the compliment. "Thanks!" She suddenly turned serious. "Though for some time I thought it would be better to not have them."

"Why?"

She showed a sad smile and her eyes became distant as if she remembered bitter memories. "People can be cruel. I had 'friends' that were really just interested on my predictions. Other people avoided me for them. And other people even blamed me for things that I had nothing to do with."

Her eyes became clear again and her smile became sincere. "But that made me who I am now. I conquered my shyness, I believe in myself now and I grew to love my abilities after I hated them for some time."

She turned to Killua. "That's why, I hope one day you can trust me. If you don't, well, no hard feelings." She pointed at him as a warning. "Just don't come asking for 'fortune telling' favors." She added with a scolding tone as a joke.

Killua suddenly felt ashamed. She wasn't guilty of anything but being herself. Although his instincts were right to suspect her, she didn't seem to be the kind of person to abuse her powers for her own benefit or to harm someone intentionally.

They stopped. The had arrived to the hotel and were standing right outside the door.

Kaala was about to open it when Killua sighed and spoke.

"After all that, how can I not trust you?"

She looked at him confused, not quite understanding.

"What I'm saying is, Gon would never forgive me if I don't consider you a friend after all your honesty and truthfulness."

He made sure to have a solid grip on his friend sleeping form on his back and extended a hand to her as a symbol of trust. He was making himself vulnerable by willingly offering physical contact with her.

"From now on, don't thank me. Friends don't have to thank each other all the time."

It was Kaala's time to slightly blush. Tears appeared on the corner of her eyes and looked like they could explode into a river anytime. Her lips became tight in an effort of holding back a whimper.

"If you weren't holding Gon on your back, I would hug right now!" She sniffed while drying her eyes with the back of her hand.

She took Killua's hand as a symbol of how she'll treasure his trust on her. "Thank you".

Killua faked annoyance. "Mou, what did I just tell you?"

Kaala laughed while she was still holding his hand.

And for a moment, Killua thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

* * *

How was it? Interesting? Lame? Let me know!

 **Havanatitiana** : Thanks for reading! Sorry for letting you down on M stuff but I bet there are tons of stories with plenty of fun out there.

 **Hannahbananagray** : I hope she's not Mary Sue'ish! I have a bad habit of creating Mary Sue characters but I'm trying to balance things out with Kaala.

 **Vere:** Thank you for your support! I do have some interesting things in mind for the story. Hope you like'em in the future!


	4. Toughies X And X Softies

**Chapter 3**

 **Toughies X And X Softies**

* * *

With Gon sleeping soundly after Cookie-chan's massage, Biscuit was thinking how to proceed on his student's training.

 _Killua is the real issue… I wasn't expecting him to go the whole month without fighting once._

She glanced at Kaala who was stretching her arms on top of her head. Then back to Killua who was watching his friend sleep.

"Killua"

He turned to Biscuit.

"Come here, I need to discuss something with you."

Killua followed her, confusion showing on his face as he left Kaala behind. They entered the living room.

"Close the doors behind you." she ordered.

Killua did as told but when he turned back to his trainer, he found her in a light outfit instead of her frilly, pink dress.

"Fight me!" she ordered as she posed with confidence.

Killua's curiosity changed into determination. "OSU!"

As soon as he said that, the petite woman turned slowly into a huge, muscled woman and at the same time of her transformation, Killua's face showed amazement, terror and shock at the same time.

 _Wh-what's with this go-gorilla form!?_

* * *

Kaala was relaxing on her room, face down on her bed with her arms and legs spread across the mattress. She felt a like a weight was just lifted from her shoulders.

 _I didn't think sharing so much about myself would be so… refreshing._

She sighed, feeling the soft fabric of her bed covers underneath her. She closed her eyes and she was slowly drifting away into sleep.

 _So soft…_

 **BAM**

She pushed herself up and sat with a jolt. She activated Kairo's Promise out of instinct. After a few seconds, nothing happened… and then came another loud thump. It came from the living room, where Killua and Biscuit were.

She turned off her Hatsu. _What the-? What are they doing?_

She walked out and stopped in front of the living room. Kaala decided to open the door to check on them and placed her hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, she heard a voice. Biscuit's voice. She changed her mind, and without removing her hand from the doorknob, she quietly placed her ear against the wood separating them.

"...know your weakness?"

 _Weakness? Does she mean Killua's?_

She pressed her ear harder against the door without noticing that her weight was being supported by her hand holding the now turning knob. The door opened and she fell on top of the carpet inside the room.

They all froze at this and Kaala could feel their eyes on her. She didn't move and heavy drops of sweat were rolling down her face and neck. Her body turned hot at the embarrassment. She didn't know how to react.

Killua broke the silence. "A-re you ok?" She noticed he was sweaty and his cheek was bleeding.

Kaala answered, red as a tomato for her sudden intrusion. "Ye-yes! aha-ahahaha!" She laughed awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head.

She turned to Biscuit to apologize. "So-sorry I interrupted! I-Im just gonna le-" She froze and took a moment to analyze the person in front of her.

 _Blonde, burgundy eyes, girly and pink clothes._

"Bi-Biscuit!?" she asked with a horrified expression.

A vein popped out on Biscuit's forehead and she growled but decided to it let go and change the topic.

"Nice timing Kaala. Tell me." Biscuit pointed to Killua with her open hand. "What do you think is Killua's weakness?"

Kaala seemed surprise with the sudden question as she stood up. She looked at Killua. "I think… you might overanalyze things. I haven't seen you fight but, you look like you let your fears control you when the odds are not in your favor ."

Biscuit looked pleased. "That's right." She pointed at Killua accusingly. "You're too quick to give up. You're too cautious about fighting. Some might say you underestimate yourself. You fight on the premise of escaping."

Killua seemed frustrated at her words. The incident with Kite and the Chimera Ant flashing through his mind. His face angry, not at Bisky, but at himself. It was the truth. That has been his way of living and fighting his entire life.

Biscuit abandoned her accusing tone. "I realize that this isn't your fault. It's the fault of whoever taught you how to fight."

Killua's frustration turned into disgust and shock as he remembered his teacher. Kaala wondered who in his family just won Killua's hatred.

Biscuit closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Habits that are burned into your body and soul aren't easy to break. But I can say one thing for sure." Her solemn face disappeared. Her eyes turned dead serious. "Somewhere down the line, you'll leave Gon behind to die."

Killua froze as if he just fell into a lake in mid winter. Kaala's heart squeezed at his pain as Killua imagined himself abandoning Gon. _Such a cruel idea for such a young mind._ She glanced at Biscuit. _She must really care for Gon and Killua. She wants to protect them, even from each other._

Biscuit explained with a chart how to defeat a bad habit or condition. She pointed at Killua.

"In your case, you're assuming the enemy is at their best. You always assume the worst case scenario." She raised her finger as if pointing to the ceiling. "Even when facing enemies with equal strength, you worry about how strong they are or what they might do to you. If we're talking about a stronger enemy, there's no question… You don't bother to think of how you could win."

Kaala sighed. _It seems I was right. Not that I'm happy about it. Killua looks horrified._

Biscuit continued. "Running is your only option. That's how losers think." She took a moment before saying her last words on the matter. "If you can't defeat Shoot tomorrow…

...you must leave Gon's side."

Killua didn't say anything. He remained quiet as he processed everything. After a few seconds, he lowered his head, his bangs hiding his eyes.

"... Alright." He whispered.

Biscuit knew how hurtful her words must have been on him but it was for their own good. Biscuit turned to Kaala. "And you."

Kaala tensed at Biscuit's attention.

"Do you know your own weakness?"

Kaala lowered her eyes as she thought but couldn't come up with an appropiate answer.

Biscuit sighed. "It's easy to point out other people's flaws but not your own." She pointed at Kaala fiercely. "You depend too much on your abilities. Without them you have no way of winning since you are physically too weak! You have to train your body as much as your mind and soul. If you don't, you become an easy target and you will end up crushed by your enemy at some point."

Biscuit crossed her arms. "Is that what you want to happen in NGL?"

Her words were like daggers to Kaala and she clenched her hands into fists. She didn't respond. Biscuit didn't press the matter either, she was done giving her a piece of her mind.

The huge woman turned to his student.

"Yosh. C'mon Killua, we are not finished. Stand up straight and fight me. You need to be in top condition for tomorrow night."

Killua raised his head. He looked distant but he blinked and became aware of his surroundings quickly.

Kaala sat on the floor and watched their fight. Killua received some pretty good hits on the face, leaving him all bruised and swollen. Biscuit remained almost unharmed the whole time.

When they were done, Bisky turned back to her petite form. Kaala and Killua were about to leave when Killua's mentor spoke to both of them with a threatening smile.

"Listen now, if you tell anyone what happened tonight, I'll make your faces three times worse than Killua's right now. Good night!"

She left the room, leaving the two of them in shock and fear for a few seconds. The awkward silence followed and Kaala didn't know what to say, so she decided to leave him alone.

"It's been a long day. We should rest."

He looked at her for a second. His face somber. "...night." He started walking to the door.

"Good night."

He walked out of the room and she could hear his steps slowly fading away.

Kaala sighed and stretched her arms above her head. Her body and mind felt tired, especially after her own mood spiraled down with Biscuit's lecture.

She walked to her room, got changed and slid under the covers. Before she fell asleep, she stared at the ceiling, repeating Biscuit's words over and over in her head. After a while, she was sick of feeling sorry for herself. She wanted to prove Biscuit wrong but at the same time she just wanted to curl into a ball and not face reality.

She remembered tomorrow was the big day and experienced a weird feeling of guilt for knowing the outcome.

She closed her eyes and prayed her prediction was wrong.

* * *

The next morning, Killua's face was even worse than yesterday, completely opposite to Gon's fresh appearance.

Killua was happy to see his friend feeling confident and ready to fight Knuckle but his mood was on the floor. He shook his head.

 _I can't worry about that right now. I need to focus on the fight. I have to win._ He looked at his best friend. His light in the darkness. _I will definitely stay by your side, Gon!_

Hours passed, and the sunset brighten the hotel room. Killua's face was considerably better and no longer swollen.

It was time.

Gon, Kaala and himself waved goodbye to Biscuit as they went to find Knuckle. Today, they will fight. Today, one team will be chosen to go to NGL. Today, they will prove their worth.

When they reached their usual rendezvous point, Knuckle and Shoot were already there. Waiting.

In silence, everyone walked to their places. There was no need for words.

Killua and Shoot walked towards the woods, while Gon and Knuckle walked to the center of the open area. Kaala stood where she was, trying to decide where to go but eventually chose to watch Gon's fight since the forest was a difficult place to observe.

Killua could feel the intensity building up around him and inside him. He was ready.

 _Gon. Win. I will definitely follow you._ He lost sight of Gon and Knuckle as the trees appeared around them.

Deep in the forest, they got in their fighting position. Shoot wasted no time and showed his powerful aura for Killua to see and feel. Killua didn't allow himself to feel intimidated.

Suddenly, Shoot intentionally dropped his left sleeve, revealing three floating hands and a little bird cage.

Weirded out, Killua used Gyo to analyze his ability but he could only conclude that those hands were dangerous and couldn't let them touch him. He took his yo-yo's out of his pockets.

Without warning, Shoot sent his hands after him. Every hand maneuvering it's own way trying to touch Killua. However, he was able to deflect every attack with swift movements, using his yo-yo's to effectively keep each hand away.

Impressed, Shoot then dashed forward to attack. Killua bent his knees to counter but he froze for a millisecond as Illumi's word echoed inside his head.

 _[Jump back.]_

He recalled Biscuit's warning of the consequences of running away and he panicked. His internal battle caused him to react too slow and he received Shoots open palm to his cheek.

As soon as he recovered, he couldn't think and he followed his instincts telling him to run away. His body was involuntarily taking him away from the fight, from his problems... from Gon. His brother's words ringing inside his head, luring him away from everything good he had ever known.

 _[That's right Killua. That's the way. Don't fight an enemy you can't beat.]_

 _I have to stop thinking that way!_

 _[You're too quick to give up!]_ Biscuits voice battled against Illumi's.

He kept running and running, Shoot following closely behind.

Biscuit appeared again in his mind. _[Somewhere down the line, you'll leave Gon behind to die.]_

 _Damn it!_

He stopped and turned to face Shoot.

 _[Forget it. You can't win.]_

It was as if Illumi's voice came from behind him. Talking to him, directly into his ear. Into his brain.

 _I won't run away anymore! I'll face Shoot! I'll win and stay by Gon's side!_

He stared fiercely at Shoot. _I don't need you, Illu-"_ His mind stopped working. Too shocked to even think.

The left side of his vision had disappeared. Everything was cut in half.

 _My left eye..._

Baffled, he barely was able to sense Shoot about to punch him in the blind side of his face. This time, Killua's reaction was fast enough to jump away in time.

He lifted his hand and touched the skin around his eye. _The left side of my face is... gone._

Shoot started to walk slowly towards him. As the Beast Hunter closed in, Killua saw Illumi's face. Speaking to him.

 _[If you take damage without knowing why, get as far from the enemy as you can.]_

Killua stood up _. My curse saved me… but that isn't good enough. Tch!_

Shoot went after him again. As the fight progressed, Killua's mind and heart kept struggling. He dodged, jumped and defended himself, but after some time, the outcome was coming close. And more clear.

Killua screamed in frustration and to give himself courage. He closed in, ready to shock Shoot with his electricity. He was about to attack when Shoot spoke as he backed away from him.

"Electricity?"

Killua froze once again. Illumi's voice haunted his thoughts.

 _[Never over pursue.]_

That was it. He gave up. There was no way to win. His brother's teachings were engraved too deep inside him to ignore. His will was incapable of breaking his most basic instincts for survival. He didn't deserve a friend like Gon. And so, he made a decision.

He will honor Biscuit's order and leave Gon alone.

Without saying a word, he threw his token to Shoot, and started to walk back.

Shoot caught the token in the air and looked at Killua's back. "That's it?" Shoot asked.

"I'm done."

Disappointed, Shoot opened his cage, allowing Killua's face to return to normal. He was about to leave but remembered he still had something to do.

He sighed and decided to stay close.

* * *

Gon and Knuckle's fight just finished when Killua appeared, walking towards them with his hands in his pockets.. His aura and posture revealing what Kaala already knew. She felt sad for him. For both of them. They tried so hard this past month.

Gon was looking at his hands, trying to use his Nen, but Knuckle's IRS was already active, a pink cat-like creature, hanging from his shoulder.

When Killua reached them, he noticed IRS and asked Kaala discreetly what was that. His voice was low and deep, showing his disappointment on himself. She refrained from asking about his fight and instead, answered his question, explaining Knuckle's Hatsu.

When she finished, Killua just nodded.

Kaala couldn't find a way to liven up the mood, so she discarded the idea. "Let's head back. I'm sure a massage from Cooki-"

"Kaala." Knuckle crossed his arms. She turned to him.

Knuckle looked dead serious into her eyes and Kaala suddenly knew what was it about. She expected something like this would happen. She stared back with a hint of challenge shining in her eyes.

"I have a message for you from Chairman Netero."

Her heart started beating hard and fast. Her hands became sweaty and she closed them into a fist.

"And?"

Knuckle closed his eyes as he continued. "He is giving you a chance to earn his blessing for your participation in this mission."

Kaala's eyes widened. _Eh?_

"You heard right." He opened his eyes. "He is willing to allow you to join him in NGL."

She was speechless and frozen in place. A few seconds passed and Kaala slowly relaxed as she analyzed the situation. "And what am I supposed to do to win such priviledge?"

Knuckle pointed his index finger at her. He yelled his answer. His voice resonating with determination. "If you manage to last 15 minutes against Shoot and me without being captured or having your Nen depleted or sealed, you will be able to go to NGL with us..."

Kaala gasped.

"BUT!" Kaala tensed. "You will follow Netero's orders and only use your abilities when he allows you too."

Her shoulders fell at this. _Ah… I knew it._

She crossed her arms and frowned. She was angry. "And what if I lose? Do I have to go back home?"

Knuckle noticed her change of posture and aura. "You will acknowledge your defeat, head back home and promise to stay away from NGL and the Chimera Ants."

Kaala wasn't angry anymore. She was furious.

 _Does he think I'm that stupid? That gullible?_

She looked at Knuckle. He was waiting for her decision.

"Well then." She said as she turned her back to Knuckle. "You can tell Netero-jiisan that…we have no deal."

"Eh?" Knuckle stared at her back. He didn't understand. _Wasn't this what she wanted? To go to him?_

He uncrossed his arms."What's this about? Don't you want to be part of the extermination?"

Kaala didn't bother to look at him. "You sound disappointed."

"I am." His eyes softened. "You think Netero is the only one who wants you safe?"

She didn't respond nor turned.

"Please." He begged. "Go home. Trust him"

Kaala turned briskly to look at him. Her eyes, filled with anger, shining with a glow that meant she was about to cry.

"No." Her voice cracked, even though she tried hard to keep it steady. "The night he left, he… he didn't even let me touch him." A small tear rolled down her cheek. She used her hand to clear it way before it reached her chin." I don't think he even trusts himself to come out of this alive."

No one spoke a word for a few moments. The air filled with tension.

She brusquely dried her eyes with her arms. "Follow his orders? He made that condition with the intention to make me hide. To only use my abilities when he allows me to? He'll never let me use them!"

Knuckle kept his eyes on hers. He knew that but he had no intention of losing and was confident he could have her go home instead. He remained silent..

"I bet you even carry his first order as a message. To stay at the border or something like that. Far from the nest."

He didn't react but she nailed it. Those were his words.

"I won't fall for it." She stated. "I won't play this game his way." Her eyes were puffy but she didn't care, she stared at Knuckle. "Instead, I'll show him my way of playing."

She straightened. "Knuckle. I challenge you on fair and square fight."

Knuckle's eyes widened. _What!?_

Kaala pointed at her chest with her thumb. "If I win, you'll stop getting in my way. If you win, I'll go home and forget about the Chimera Ants. How's that sound?"

Knuckle considered this. He saw fire on her eyes. She was confident she would win. _Is she underestimating me?_ But she was giving him an opportunity to end this. To send her home safe and sound. He knew her and she would keep her promise, no matter what.

"FINE! I accept you challenge!" His nostrils flared.

"You sure you can handle two fights in one night?"

"Don't mock me. I barely broke a sweat."

Killua noticed Gon flinched at that comment. He clearly was hurt by Knuckle's words.

"I'll make sure you regret not taking Netero's deal cause I'm not holding back!"

"Good!" She threw her swords on the grass. She wanted to win using her bare hands.

Kaala walked to the center of the field. "How else will I prove Netero-jiisan my determination if I don't bring you down on a real fight?" She undid her hairdo to tie all her hair up on a lazy high ponytail.

"Don't get cocky! Don't forget I know your tricks." He cracked his knuckles.

"And I know yours." Her eyes started to shine and changed into a colorful spectrum.

She felt her stomach twitch. Her heart beating fast pumping adrenaline to her body. Her mind alert and sharp. Her body itching for action. Her eyes prepared. Her aura vibrating around her.

She had a plan. Not a very good one though. Too simple. Too easy to figure it out. But thanks to her eyes, not easy to counter. Her body might be weak but that would not stop her now.

They got in position and after a few silent seconds, they dashed towards each other.

* * *

Killua forgot about his situation as he watched such an interesting match.

He noted in awe how advantageous Kaala's ability was. As soon as they started, Kaala was obviously in control of the situation.

Knuckle was the first one to throw a punch. He aimed at her face. She easily dodged it and landed her own punch in…

 _...his shoulder?_

Knuckle wasn't even pushed back and he quickly recovered.

 _Tch! Kaala's physical strength can't compare to Knuckle's. He barely receives any damage._

Knuckle dashed right back at her.

This time, he threw a kick to her stomach. She ducked and with a quick move, she kicked his supporting leg to throw him off balance.

Killua thought she was going to punch him in the stomach too, however, as Knuckle was in the air, Kaala stood up and punch him in the face to slam him into the grass.

She backed away from Knuckle right before he swung his arm at her feet like a mace. She put some distance between them and waited for his next move.

Knuckle sat up as he rubbed his pained nose. "Tch!"

He got back to his feet on a swift jump and charged at her.

For a while, their fight kept the same pattern. Knuckle attacks. Kaala dodges and counters.

Killua was watching attentively, afraid he would miss something if he looked away. The balance could break at any moment.

Knuckle was obviously trying to force her to lift both feet. In the air, she could still predict his moves but not evade. However, Kaala knew this and always dodged in a safe way without jumping too high.

He then realized Gon didn't know her abilities. He glanced at him and found him frowning in confusion. He approached his friend and explained Kaala's skills to him. Gon didn't react much to his words. He just nodded as Killua talked.

When he was done, they went quiet again and observed from afar.

He decided the current rhythm was on Kaala's favor. For now. If Knuckle manages to hit her just once, it could be over.

 _Her strategy isn't anything fancy. Kaala wants to slowly weaken Knuckle while dodging and evading his attacks. A single hit from him will activate APR on her. Not to mention the great amount of damage she would receive. After that, Knuckle could just dodge and evade until Potclean reaches Kaala's aura limit, which shouldn't take long considering her constant consumption._

This plan is her best shot, but still…

 _That's not enough. Knuckle is very resilient. He won't fall from just light punches and kicks._

He felt anxious. _Unless… she is planning something else._

He took a glance at Gon. He was even more focused on the fight than him. Killua couldn't blame his friend. Gon just lost to Knuckle and he felt like he was competing against Kaala.

The punching and blocking sounds stopped. Knuckle had stop chasing after Kaala and both were showing signs of fatigue. They were panting heavily and were covered in sweat and dirt. Killua was surprised to find Knuckle in such a bad shape.

 _Why? Gon, who is physically stronger than Kaala, was able to get a few hits on Knuckle and he was barely affected!_

"AH!" Gon exclaimed loudly. "I get it! She is using Gyo and her ability at the same time to find Knuckle's weak spots right at the moment she will attack!"

Killua gasped. _She can do that?_

"That's right." Knuckle placed his hand on his shoulder. The one she punched at the very beginning. "I realized after that punch on the face. I thought you were gonna hit me on my stomach and used Ryu to protect it but you went for my face instead."

Knuckle looked at Kaala's tired frame and brushed his aching shoulder with his hand. "That really hurt, you know."

She didn't answer. She wanted the fight to continue. She had to end this fast. One disadvantage about Kairo's Promise is that it consumes Nen constantly. She was feeling her body slowly losing strength.

"Stop whining and come at me." She usually wasn't aggressive but she wanted this over with, soon.

Knuckle took her comment as a sign of her desire to end it. They would soon reach the battle's climax.

Knuckle charged towards her and their choreographic fight began once again. Knuckle's punches were stronger, more fierce and carrying his will to protect her.

And Kaala dodged them all.

After a few minutes, Killua noticed Knuckle's speed was decreasing. His recovery time after every attack he received was taking longer.

But it wasn't just him. Kaala too was getting slower and her kicks and punches lighter.

When he thought they both would just drop from exhaustion, Kaala dodge another of Knuckle's straights. She closed in to Knuckle's body with her knees bent and right arm ready to strike. Knuckle's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

With no time to cover himself, he witnessed how Kaala delivered a very powerful uppercut right at his jaw. Sending him flying a few meters up in the air.

The moment Knuckle reached the ground, he was out cold.

Killua, Gon and even Kaala were baffled.

She had done it. She beat Knuckle with her own hands. Kaala smiled and raised her arms in victory. "Yatta!"

She let her body fall on her back. She was incredibly tired but still conscious. She was panting heavily and her clothes was sticking to her body due to all the sweat. They had been fighting for quite some time.

Killua ran to her worried. He saw what she did.

She condensated all her aura around her fist and released like an emitter attack at the moment of impact with Knuckle's jaw. Since specialization doesn't have much compatibility with emission, she had to use all her Nen to deliver such a strong punch.

It was a perfect demonstration of Ko. It required a lot of precision and control. It also meant taking incredibly high risks.

Killua crouched right next to her. "You ok?"

Kaala could barely answer. "I'm...great…"

"You're insane you know! You left your body completely unprotected by concentrating your Nen like that. You wanna die or something?"

She closed her eyes and smiled. She was still having trouble breathing properly. "I know… but.. I won!" She lifted one arm as a victory gesture, but it only made it halfway up and quickly fell back to her side on the grass.

Killua sighed. He was surrounded by reckless idiots. That thought brought Gon to his mind and he turned to look at him. He was checking on Knuckle.

Gon's face showed sadness and disappointment. He wasn't the one who took Knuckle out; It was Kaala.

Killua stood up and walked to him. He didn't know what to say to make him feel better.

"Let's wake him up and go home. Kaala can't walk and you can't carry anyone so he'll have to walk on his own. I think Shoot left already as well."

Gon nodded.

While they did that, Kaala was able to sit with great effort. After some time, they managed to wake Knuckle. Before he left, he turned his back to Kaala and spoke.

"Be careful. I don't know what your plan is but I'll tell you something. I'm not the last person who will get in your way." His turned half his body as he remembered something. "And don't go around using such dangerous moves like that one! Got it!?"

She shrugged and laughed. "Got it."

He looked at the two boys. "Gon, you show a lot of promise. Don't let this defeat get the best of you."

Gon slowly nodded. His usual bubbly attitude nowhere to be seen. "One day, I'll definitely defeat you, Knuckle."

He chuckled. "We'll see about that." He changed his gaze to Killua.

"I didn't get to see you fight, but I'm sure Shoot would say the same thing about you."

Killua looked away as he remembered his defeat and his promise. "I guess."

Knuckle raised his hand as a goodbye gesture. "Well, I guess you guys can come with me to the border tomorrow to say goodbye, since I can longer stop you. See ya!"

And with that, he walked away.

A few seconds later, Kaala yelled at him with a playful voice. "Don't cry all the way back!"

Knuckle turned. His eyes watery and his face red. "WH-WHO SAID I WAS CRYING! I'M NOT CR-CRYING DAMN IT!" He dried his tears and ran away. "DON'T TELL ANYONE!"

Kaala smiled and felt a soothing warmth inside her chest. The grass beneath her and the night breeze chilling her wet skin felt great.

 _He's such a softy. Thank you, Knuckle._

Killua broke the silence. "Well, it's late. We should go back too."

Gon made an affirmative sound. Still depressed, he walked to Kaala's swords still on the floor to pick them up.

Killua walked to Kaala and crouched while showing his back to her. "Let's go."

It took Kaala a second to understand. He was giving her a piggyback ride back home.

With great effort, she was able to get on Killua's back. "Thank you."

He started to stand up as he replied. "No prob-" He froze.

Kaala tilted her head to the side in wonder and worry. "A-are you ok? Am I heavy?"

"N-No! Not at all! Nothing is wrong. It's just… you're actually lighter than I thought." He lied.

"Oh, ok. That's good. I won't be such burden for you then."

 _Saved! Fortunately, she can't see my face._

Gon, sad and in no mood for chit chat, took the lead a few meters in front of them. Killua was thankful for this. This way, Gon wouldn't notice his weird expression.

Killua actually didn't mind carrying her at all. He has to carry Gon every once in a while. But he didn't take some things into account when he offered her a ride. _Two things_ actually.

And they were gently pressing against his back.

His heart started racing. His cheeks got incredibly red and hot. His mind completely blank.

Killua could feel two soft but small mounds on his upper back. This made him way too conscious of the girl he was carrying. He was too aware of her thighs on his hands, her arms on his shoulders and her hot, moist breath on his neck.

He shivered. His stomach twisted and he swallowed with difficulty.

At the age of 14, Killua hadn't had a proper interaction with girls his age. He never got interested in them and spent most of his life training to become a master assassin. Telling a girl that you know 100 torture methods isn't a great pick up line.

He felt some unknown desires growing inside him. Well, of course he knew what kind of desires those were! But he had never felt them before!

 _C'mon Killua! You were trained to ignore any kind of cravings, wishes, desires, flings and even the most basic needs in the most hostile escenarios! Calm down._

He didn't know if he should consider these new sensations as a pleasant challenge or as another torture method. Maybe both.

 _101 torture methods now._

He breathed in deeply, hold it for a few seconds and then released the air slowly through his mouth. He chose to recite the list of poisons he memorized when he was 7 to distract himself.

 _Arsenic. Cyanide. Ricin. Strychnine. Belladona. Abr-_

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kaala interrupted his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"You suddenly tensed"

"I…" _What do I say!?_

He considered for a few moments on what lie he could come up with. It wasn't hard for him: lying. But she opened up to him and he felt guilty not to return the same honesty she had showed him.

He sighed. "I'm…" He made sure Gon couldn't hear them. "... actually pretty messed up right now. I don't feel worthy of being Gon's friend." His shoulders sank. " I lost to Shoot and.. well you were there, when I made that promise to Bisky."

He suddenly felt really tired and disappointed on himself. "I can't leave him until the IRS is removed but after that…." He left that thought unfinished.

"That's it?" she asked.

"What do you mean 'that's it?' ? Doesn't sound bad enough for you to abandon your most import-"

"You think I don't know how it feels?" He turned his head to look at her face from the corner of his eyes. He didn't respond. She has it worse right now.

"Instead of giving up, you should find a way to overcome your weakness in the next 30 days. If you can't, then leave his side. Keep trying. And when you make it, you can find Gon again."

She faked a smile. "It's not like you are leaving him forever."

Killua thought about her comment but he felt no hope. His brother's words and training were strongly a part of him.

Suddenly he heard her yawning.

 _She must be exhausted._

"You should sleep."

She was silent for a second. "I'm fine. I'll wait until we get back to the hotel." She supported her head on the back of his neck.

Her hair tickled him and that made him remember something he wanted to say. He took a moment to gather courage as he slowly blushed.

"Yo-you look good with your ha-hair like that." he whispered.

She lifted her head "Eh?"

His eye twitched. _Do I really have to say it again?_

"Yo-your hair. I li-like how it looks." He said clearer and louder.

"You think?" She asked, obviously happy with the compliment.

"Ye-yeah. You look more mature." _Idiot idiot idiot! I said that out loud!_

"Really? Hmm I should keep tying it like this then. Maybe everyone will start taking me more seriously."

They remained silent for a few seconds.

"So... you like girls with long hair?"

Killua almost tripped. "Wh-what's with that question!?"

She puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Just making conversation."

"Why don't you just fall asleep? You're exhausted. I'll drop you on your bed when we arrive."

She squeezed her arms surrounding his collar bone which made her body press harder against his. That reminded him of certain female attributes she possessed. "I told you, I'm fine. I'll rest when we get there."

He sighed. "And I thought Gon was stubborn. Fine. Suit yourself."

An awkward silence followed. He watched Gon as he walked in front of them. His posture and aura revealing his mood.

 _He really is depressed. He usually just feels a little bit down and quickly gets over it._ He thought for a moment. _I don't think I can cheer him up right now. I'm not even in the mood to be cheery myself._

Killua then thought of both his friends and realized something: he really cared about them. He actually felt a strong instinct to protect them. To keep them alive and happy. The complete opposite of what he is supposed to be.

An assassin.

His hands weren't meant to protect, they were meant to kill.

Right now, he'd rather die than go back to his old life. He found a better way of living. The best way of living. He didn't have to fulfill anyone's expectations. He didn't have to stay in the darkness. He could be out in the sunlight, surrounded by friends. Surrounded by the people he loves.

 _Love?_

His mind immediately thought of Kaala. He felt like he received a punch to the stomach and his chest tightened.

He stopped walking without noticing and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

 _Don't be stupid. I met her a month ago. Just because she is the first girl I've ever interacted with doesn't mean I like her that way. She is k-kinda pretty and cool but… I don't even know the type of girl I like! Do I even know what kind of types are th-_

"Killua?"

Her voice snapped him out his trance.

"Is something wrong?"

He turned his head to see her face with the corner of his eyes. Her face showed concern and curiosity. He realized he had stopped walking. He looked at the path in front of him and didn't see Gon. His friend wasn't aware he was leaving them behind.

"Are you ok? You've been acting kinda weird since the fight"

Killua relaxed and managed to focus on Kaala. He sighed internally. _Why is this harder than killing a mafia group or something._

"I'm fine. I think I'm just tired. That's all." He resumed his walk.

She frowned, not quite convinced by his statement. "I can walk if you want. I feel a bit better."

He thought for a few seconds. He didn't think she was able to walk and even if she was, they would walk even slower. In practicality, it was less convenient.

Efficiency aside, he actually didn't want to let her go despite all the confusion she stirred in his mind and body. Plus, some unfamiliar instinct was telling him to keep her happy and untroubled. _I must be a masochist or something for saying this._

"I told you, I'm fine. I'll rest when we get there." He replied with a hint of amusement.

Kaala blinked. Killua just used the exact same words she had said to him. She was confused. His mood changes were erratic.

But she decided to let it go. Too tired to figure out his thoughts. "If you say so." Kaala rested her head on the back of his neck once again.

Killua felt his nape been tickled and warm once more from her touch and discovered something outstanding.

He was enjoying it. A lot. He slowly smiled, once again grateful she couldn't see his face.

What he didn't know was that Kaala was thankful for the very same thing.

She smiled shyly as her cheeks changed color to a subtle pink.

Neither of them knew the other was in a bliss.

And no one knew the king was born that same night either.

* * *

Please review! Let me know what you think! It's so fun to read your comments on my progress. Every time I open my email and see a review notification, it makes my day! I had sooo much fun writing this chapter.

As a little fun fact: Kaala's name does have a meaning.

Kālá means time in Sanskrit. There is even a deity named like this but her meaning is not really relevant to what I was striving for.

Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays and have a great Happy New Year! I will see you in a month. Buh bye!


	5. Bonus: Killua's X Restless X Night

**Bonus Chapter**

 **Killua's X Restless X Night**

* * *

Killua arrived at the hotel and before opening the door, he took a peek at Kaala, sleeping soundly. He felt her body go limp and her breathing slow down some time back.

He knew she would succumb to her fatigue.

He opened the door as quietly as possible but found Biscuit already up, waiting for them. She stood up from her chair with a sympathetic expression on her face.

Killua was suddenly brought back to reality. He tasted something bitter in his mouth, like he was about to throw up.

"I heard from Gon. Are you ok?"

Killua's eyes hid under his bangs as he walked past Biscuit.

"I am. Don't worry." He knew Biscuit wasn't to blame for his weakness, but somehow he felt some degree of resentment towards her for making him promise to do something he dreaded. He was being irrational and it was not fair but he didn't want to deal with this now.

"You will keep your promise, right?" This time her tone was more direct and authoritative.

Killua stopped, not bothering to face her. "I said I would, didn't I? I told you, don't worry."

"Good. I'll be leaving now then. I just wanted to say goodbye and…to tell that I'm very proud of both of you."

Killua remained quiet. Biscuit got her suitcase and was about to leave when Killua spoke.

"Thank you. For everything."

Biscuit smiled weakly. She felt touched by his words and was tempted to pat his head, but she resisted the urge.

"Good luck at NGL. I'm sure you'll get there somehow. Tell Kaala that even though I might not agree with her, I do respect her. Ja na."

The door clicked and silence took over the hotel room. Killua sighed a few seconds later and walked into Kaala's room. Gently, he laid Kaala on the bed, removed her shoes and tucked her in. He guessed releasing that tight hair band would be more comfortable for her. Since removing it by conventional ways would be very troublesome and risky, he cut it with his sharp nails, freeing her hair.

Killua recalled how much sweat she had on her earlier and realized she hasn't drank any water since the fight. He went to the kitchen, filled a glass with water and left it on her night stand.

Satisfied, he walked to his own room. He placed his hand on the doorknob but he couldn't bring himself to open the door. He was sharing the room with Gon, and he was sure his friend was not gonna be able to sleep tonight. He wasn't either.

 _I can't face Gon… not tonight._

Disappointed, he chose to lay on the couch in the living room instead. Hands under his head as he stared at the ceiling.

His feelings were in a turmoil. His thoughts were a mess. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't even know what he wanted to do.

Frustrated, he punched the backrest of the couch with his fist.

 _Damn it all! What should I do!?_

He closed his eyes and breathed in, hold it for a few seconds and then released it. He repeated the same process a couple of times as he thought of nothing. His mind blank.

He opened his eyes again. He felt calmer and more serene but with a new sentiment of nostalgia.

 _I'm being silly. Gon isn't even gone yet and I'm missing him already._ He laughed bitterly at himself.

Suddenly, a waterfall of memories flooded his head. The day he met Gon.

 _["My parents are assassins."_

 _Gon blinked. "Both of them?"]_

How weird and fun was to be around him.

 _["I just tracked Leorio's cologne"]_

His embarrassing honesty.

 _[Biscuit smiled. "Well, what will you do once you find Ging?"_

 _"Naturally, I'll introduce him to Killua. My best friend in the world!"]_

He spat a laugh. "We had fun didn't we, Gon?" he whispered to himself.

They always have fun together. Even the past month. Despite training and the impending danger they were approaching.

He remembered some nice memories of the three of them. Kaala was funny and kind too. He grew very fond of her in such a short time.

He remembered that one time they shared their Hunter Exam stories.

* * *

"How long have you two been Hunters?"

Gon and Killua were still struggling to keep their Ren active for long periods of time. Long referring to more than one hour.

Gon dried the accumulating sweat on his forehead with his arm. He lifted two fingers and answered proudly with a smile . "I became a Hunter two years ago. It was very challenging and dangerous but really really fun! I got to meet many skilled people. Including Chairman Netero."

"Oh really!? You met grandfather?"

"Yeah. Killua and I played a game with him. He made a deal with us." He lifted a finger as he quoted. "'If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you be Hunters' he said. We just had to take a ball from him to win."

Kaala shrugged happily. "That does sound like him. And how did you do?"

"We weren't even close! He was super fast and strong for someone his age!"

"I know right? He is some kind of superhuman!"

Killua watched them talk as he focused on his Ren. Sweat was running down the sides of his face and he used the back of his arm to dry his chin before they would drip to the floor. He looked at Kaala.

 _She isn't even sweating a drop. How much has she trained in her life?_

Compared to Gon and him, she has way more experience when it comes to Nen. They had opened their nodes two years ago when Wing-san agreed to train them. Ever since, they have learned a lot but every time they discover something new, they realize how far they were to reach their full potential.

 _She couldn't possibly have started training a short time ago._

 _"_ _.._ lua _._ Oi!"

 _She must be several years ahead of us. I wonder when did she began to…_

"Killua!"

He snapped out his thoughts. Kaala was now talking to him. Killua turned to look at her.

"You said something?"

Annoyed, she repeated her question. "I said, when did you become a Hunter?"

"Oh, last year." he smiled as he bragged, suddenly wanting to feel superior. "Actually, I was the only one who passed that Exam."

Gon and Kaala almost jumped in surprise.

"Eh!?"

Gon spoke first "You never told me that Killua!"

Killua rested his hands in the back of his head. "I didn't?". He acted innocent.

"No, you certainly did not!. That is amazing!" Gon beamed, proud and happy for his friend.

"How did you do it?" asked Kaala incredibly curious and equally impressed.

Killua was pleased with their reactions and showed a smug smile. "Wasn't that hard. I took everyone's number tag in the first phase of the Exam. They didn't even know what hit them"

"Oh! Impressive Killua!" Kaala said as she applaud him. Killua felt great hearing her praises, but somehow he felt even better at having her attention on him.

"I barely made it through the Exam. Fortunately there was no fighting involved in any phase."

"You passed on your first try? How was your exam?" Gon asked. His brow shining with new sweat but he didn't noticed.

Kaala pointed at Gon. "I'll tell you about mine if you tell me about the exam you guys took together"

Killua smiled genuinely "Fair enough."

They chatted about their examiners and challenges from each point of view, describing their hardships and experiences with enthusiasm. At least until Gon and Killua suddenly saw black and passed out from the effort.

* * *

Killua laughed. Training and talking wasn't easy at that point, but it did help on keeping their minds busy and entertained.

 _Kaala would even offer to bring cold drinks for us when we were really tired and we couldn't even move._

A nostalgic feeling washed over him again. The fun times together were coming to an end soon. He would leave Gon's side as promised.

 _I hope he understands._

He remembered Kaala's words. Even if they part, he could still work on conquering his weakness and not leave Gon. He just couldn't think of a way to do it in the next 30 days. He would have to accomplish it after they separate. Somehow.

He was willing to face great dangers to become strong. Mentally, physically and emotionally. His brother's coward teachings will vanish from his mind and he will finally taste freedom.

Maybe Kaala would agree to help him. She could assess the dangers before they even happen and…

 _Damn it! I'm just thinking about running away again! Besides… if by staying with Gon I'm risking his life, I'd be risking Kaala's if she's around me._

He sighed.

He really was useless. Unworthy of friends. Destined to be what he was born to do. In the end, he was just an assassin. A Zoldyck. Nothing else. No one cared about him but his interested family.

He scolded himself at that thought.

 _That's not true. Gon cares. Leorio cares. Kurapika. Biscuit. I think even Kaala cares. She went a full month knowing who I was and treated me as a friend._

He pushed his negative thoughts aside and focused on recalling the good times they had together.

He remembered when they were sharing their personal tastes in food once.

* * *

"...mangoes, grapes, apples, oranges, pineapples, cherries, bananas, kiwis, strawb-"

"Basically any fruit then." interrupted Killua.

"Pretty much." she was almost drooling as she listed her favorite foods. "I love anything with cheese too. Or chicken. Or beef. Or-"

"Basically anything."

She puffed her cheeks in annoyance at the new interruption. "I don't love _EVERYTHING_. I am picky at some stuff."

"I think it would be easier if you listed the things you _don't_ like." Gon added.

"Hmm.. onions, shallots, pickles, reddish, red peppers…"

Killua blinked at the last one.

Kaala looked at the boys. "I think that might be it. What about you guys?"

Gon raised his arm as if asking permission to speak. "I love seafood. In Whale Island we eat a lot of fish, shellfish, shrimp, and other stuff we catch on our piers. One of my favorite snacks is dried cuttlefish! A guy back home catches the cuttlefish himself, shreds it, drieds it and sells it in packages so you can eat it whenever you want. He also sells dried shrimp and smoked squid. Mm mm mmm!"

Killua didn't find any of that slightly appetizing. But Gon did grow up surrounded by water so it was logical he would like that kind of stuff.

Kaala was more open minded but her face had a doubtful expression. "Sounds weird but I would like to taste it someday."

"You'd like it! I know it. It's really good and nutritious!" he turned to Killua. "What about you Killua? What do you like to eat?"

Killua scratched the back of his head and looked at the ceiling uninterested as he answered. "I actually eat pretty much anything except red peppers." He then turned very serious at Gon and Kaala as he pointed at them with his index finger. "But there is no doubt chocolate is the best thing there is in the universe!"

Kaala and Gon stared at him a few seconds, emotionless. Then they looked at each other with the same expression for another few seconds. Suddenly Killua jumped at their explosive and loud laughter.

Gon rolled on the carpet holding his stomach. "It hurts! It hurts!"

Kaala was hitting the carpet with her open palm as she laughed hysterically.

Killua crossed his arms in annoyance. "Wh-what's so funny!?"

Kaala managed to control herself before Gon. "The cool and composed Killua, the most 'mature' of us, loves chocolate so much to consider it the best thing there is in the galaxy?"

"Universe!" he corrected.

Kaala and Gon started their laughing frenzy again.

A vein popped in Killua's forehead. He was about to yell at them to stop but suddenly a lamp hit him in the side of his head, knocking him to the floor. At the same time, another object hit Gon on the face, effectively stopping his rolling and laughing streak.

"ORA! What do you brats think are doing!? Keep practicing your Ren!"

In the heat of the moment, they had forgotten to keep their Ren active. Killua and Gon rapidly got in position and started practicing again. Killua got a huge bump on his head and Gon's face had a red mark perfectly resembling a shoe sole.

"As punishment you will start the 3 hours again! You hear me!?"

"O-OSU!"

Killua looked at Kaala with the corner of his eye. She was covering her mouth with both hands to contain her laugh. Her face was red and she had tears in the corner of her eyes.

He had to contain a smile forming on his lips. He suddenly didn't mind the pain throbbing on his temple.

The next day, he said goodnight to everyone and headed to his room to rest when he found a bag filled with chocolates sitting on his pillow. He looked at Gon's bed and saw a plastic bag filled with weird shaped, yellow strips of some kind of meat. He turned to his own bed and took the note right beside it.

 _Sorry for causing you trouble yesterday. Enjoy!_

 _PS: I love chocolate too! So don't feel too bad._

He stared at the note for a few seconds.

"PFF HAHAHAHA! What's with this message?"

He was about to open the bag and eat every piece inside it but changed his mind at the last second. He decided to store it under his bed temporarily.

He shared it with Kaala the very next day.

* * *

Killua kept remembering fond memories for hours, each one improving his mood little by little. He opened his eyes and realized the room was slightly more lit than before.

 _It must be dawning._ He had spent the whole night sulking and going down memory lane.

He breathed in deeply and exhaled. He felt better. His spirit was lifted. His determination to protect Gon... to protect Kaala and Gon, stronger than ever.

He heard a click and a yawn followed by steps. Then Kaala walked into the room, dragging her feet lazily to the kitchen. Her eyes were almost closed, not yet adjusted to the light. Her hair was a mess and spongy. The dim light was enough to reflect a shiny line of drool starting on her lips and ending on her left cheek.

Killua realized she hadn't notice his presence yet and decided to have some fun.

He waited until she was at the middle of the room, right in front of the couch.

"Good morning"

She froze. "Eh?" Her eyes widened as she faced Killua, lying in the couch with a teasing face.

Killua saw in slow motion how her face turned all shades of red.

"KI-KILLUA!?" She frantically ran her fingers through her hair to comb it and tone down the frizz.

"What are you doing up so early!?" She used her arm to get rid of her drool and her hands to clear her eyelashes of any crust they might have.

Her reaction was even better than expected. He resisted the incredible temptation to laugh at full power.

"Why are _you_ up so early?" He asked back.

She was looking at everything except him."I- I-I'm getting something to eat. I didn't eat di-dinner last night so I'm incredibly hu-hungry." Her embarrassment was evident and hilarious.

Even with her current messy appearance, Killua found her very pretty and adorable.

He mentally sighed. _I should make the best out of this final days and tease her more often._

"Anything in mind?"

She gathered the courage to look at him. "I don't know, I'll eat whatever I can find. Maybe cereal." She shook her hand dismissively.

"You need something more nutritious than cereal. You had a fight yesterday. A very demanding one." He scolded

"Look who's talking, chocolate boy. You mean you would eat Gon's dried fish?"

He laughed. "No way! I meant you should eat something more than just cereal. C'mon, let's see what we can find."

"Hmm? You're cooking for me?"

He entered the kitchen to look for ingredients. Kaala followed.

"I didn't have dinner either and I could use some food too. Since you're too lazy to cook, I'll have to prepare something for both of us."

"Oh, and here I thought you were doing something selfless for me".

"Stop mocking me or you'll eat cereal and Gon's fish for breakfast" he said as he checked the refrigerator.

"You wouldn't do that to _me_." She said as she sat on a chair at the table.

Killua kept his eyes on the interior of the refrigerator. "No, not to you." He glanced at her and her smile was replaced by wonder. He felt uncomfortable at his own answer and changed the topic back to breakfast before she could say anything. "I found cheese. You like anything with cheese, right?" He showed her the large piece of dairy he had found.

His strategy was a success. Kaala forgot about his words as she beamed at his discovery. "Right!" She flashed him a genuine smile as she rested her chin on her hands, elbows on the table. "Thank you"

He looked away to hide his face. "You know; you really have bad memory. I told you to stop thanking me for everything." He scolded.

She laughed. "I did not forget. I just chose to ignore that advice."

Killua sighed. "Fine, suit yourself. As always."

Kaala, at her victory, stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Killua realized, as he prepared breakfast, that losing wasn't always such a bad thing.

* * *

Please review!

I'm pretty happy that everyone liked the last chapter so much! Keep telling me your thoughts and give me feedback! I will definitely consider them for future chapters.

 **MakkuroX:** Thank you so much! Actually yes! Reading does wonders and I do love a good book or story. I'm actually running out of fanfictions D: any suggestions?

 **Havanatitiana:** I'm thrilled to know you liked it so much! I'm trying really hard to keep them in-character and write as true to themselves as possible.

 **Vere:** I'm not sure what you mean reader x Killua but I don't think so. I use Killua's perspective very often but it's meant to be Killua x Kaala. They're still not going to NGL. Im trying to cover as much as possible of the anime. Some parts will be romance oriented, others action oriented. NGL it's still a little far.

 **AtsushiLiezl:** Thank you for reading! Hope I can keep you interested.

 **All Guests:** Thank you for enjoying Unpredictable as well.

As you can guess, I based Kaala's tastes on my own. I really do hate onions and peppers and I love every fruit there is!

See you around! Buh bye!


	6. Weaknesses X and X Strengths

**Chapter 4**

 **Weaknesses X and X Strengths**

* * *

Morning came and Gon, Killua and Kaala got ready to part with Knuckle and Shoot to drop them at the NGL border. They walked to the meeting point, right outside town to take the truck who would pick them up. The Beast Hunters were already there.

They chatted as they waited for the truck to arrive, driven by Monta. Knuckle, Shoot and Killua stepped into the back and seated. Gon jumped in and offered a hand to Kaala.

"Thanks Gon, but I'm not going."

He blinked. "Eh? You're not coming with us?"

"I just wanted to see you guys off. I don't think it's a good idea for me to go with you."

"I thought you'd say that." Added Killua from the back. "You sure you wanna stay? You might get a chance."

She smiled appreciatively. "I'm sure." She turned to Knuckle. "Is it too much to ask if I request updates on grandfather's actions?"

He eyed her seriously. "Actually, it is. I agreed to stay _out of your way_ , not that I would _assist_ you. Sorry, kid."

Kaala pouted "I should've bet for your cooperation instead."

The criminal-looking Hunter shrugged. "Too late for that." Kaala dismissed the topic with a flick of her hand. "Fine. Just… be careful out there, ok? You too, Shoot."

Shoot nodded in gratitude. Knuckle chuckled.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" He double tapped the truck to let the driver know they were ready to go.

Kaala switched her attention to the other young Hunters as the engine started. "I'll see you guys later, back at the hotel."

"Ok."

"Sure thing."

Kaala waved goodbye as the truck drove away, wondering how everything was going to turn out.

The ride was quite. No one tried to start a conversation and even though everyone seemed fine with it, Gon felt incredibly uncomfortable. They were all tense and lost in thought. He looked at his companions. Knuckle was sitting with his back straight, his arms crossed and eyes closed. Shoot had his arm tucked inside his sleeve as he casually observed the passing scenery. Killua's fingers interlaced together on top of his lap and his tired face showing a hint of pain.

Gon mentally sighed. _Kite. I'm sorry. I won't be able to save you myself._

His closed his hands into tight fists and looked at Knuckle. _But I know for sure you're alive and I trust them. They will find you and bring you back._

As if Knuckle could read his thoughts, he opened his eyes to meet Gon's strong stare, delivering an implicit message.

Knuckle smiled. Gon was placing a burden on his shoulders, a task he was ready to accept and fulfill. He gave the young Hunter a thumbs-up and Gon nodded as acknowledgement.

 _Wait for them, Kite._

They reached the border after some time, and they all jumped down.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, memories flooded his mind. He knew Knuckle had gotten the message. He knew Kite would be saved but… but… he couldn't hold it anymore.

"Knuckle."

"Hmm?"

Gon's determined eyes were once again staring at Knuckles. Slowly but surely, that strength was vanishing, replaced with sadness and helplessness.

"Promise me!" Tears appeared in the corner of his eyes. "You have to… You have to save Kite!"

Knuckle nodded. "Got it. I promise I'll bring him back." He lifted the two wooden pieces whose ink formed the word _'Rook'_ when together. "I promise on this token."

Knuckle and Shoot walked to the giant tree, Knuckle flashing a last thumbs-up as he disappeared into the trunk's entrance.

As Killua walked back to the truck, Gon was starting to feel overwhelmed by his emotions. "Killua…" He knew his friend had stopped at the sound of his name. "I'm weak… ". Saying those words made them more real than ever. Gon started shaking as tears ran down his contorted face. "I never knew…" He shut his eyes, trying to stop them from crying. "I never knew how frustrating weakness could be!"

Killua didn't try to comfort him. Probably, because he feels the same way.

On their way back, Gon hugged his legs and buried his face on his arms, wanting to shut the world out.

 _After everything I trained, I'm still weak. I fought so hard, trained so hard, tried so hard and I'm still weak!_

His hold tightened and he buried his face even deeper.

Some time after their departure, Gon kept sulking on that same spot. Spin and Killua gave him the space he needed. They remained seated, minding their own business. Spin read and popped her bubblegum several times throughout the way. Killua just stared at his hands and occasionally at Gon.

After his mind went around in circles, Gon grew tired of feeling sorry for himself and decided that he had had enough. He released a powerful roar as he stood up in a brusque way, giving the other passengers a slight scare as he jerked up.

"Okay, I've recovered!" He straightened his back and puffed his chest. "Knuckle and the other Hunters will save Kite. So I have to become stronger! So that Kite won't be disappointed when he comes back."

 **Pop**

Spin smiled. "Ah, so you do understand. You might have met Kite before we did," She placed the bookmark on the page she was reading. "but we've spent more time with him." Her book made a thump sound when she closed it with one hand.

"After we crossed the mountains, if you'd still been moping, I would've given you a beating."

Gon's eyes widened.

Spin continued. "And told you that Kite wouldn't want to see you two like this. I know he's still alive, and he doesn't want you to have regrets." She looked into his eyes as she said this.

Those words were enough for Gon to feel motivated and he began doing push ups with his whole body in the air. Spin pointed out that there was enough space for some exercise and that left Gon eager for some. He was determined to become strong and show Kite the results of his training when he comes back.

 _What a better moment to start but now?_

As he effortlessly pushed his body up and down continuously, Gon wondered about Spin's motives for becoming a Hunter and with his usual innocent curiosity, he addressed the topic. The rest of the way, the atmosphere had changed to a comfortable and warm conversation between the two young Hunters and the aspiring one. The three of them managed to enjoy the trip back while telling stories of Kite, hoping to see him again soon, alive and kicking.

* * *

Gon and Killua were standing outside the building where Palm was waiting, feeling a dark and evil aura emanating from it. Neither of them was scared but they indeed felt wary of going inside and facing the most dangerous foe they could ever face: a very angry woman.

Killua swallowed. _Before I worry about enemies, I have to protect Gon from Palm._

Gon had carelessly promised something and now they were about to face the consequences of their failure. Killua considered taking Gon away until Palm's rage died down but he knew his friend would not approve or indulge to that kind of cowardice. His pride and honor wouldn't let him run away from a broken promise.

Gon approached the door and opened it with extreme care. The killer intent inside was suffocating but they gathered up enough courage to walk in. They followed the origin of aura only to find an unstable Palm using a knife to rip the face of many many Gon-looking dolls whose stuffing was protruding from several wounds in the fabric.

Palm removed the knife from one of the unfortunate toys and slowly turned to look at the young boys. Her eyes were like those of a demon and she spoke with a voice so heavy and full of hate that Gon and Killua paled.

"You must take responsibility." She abandoned her crouching position as she stood up. "You promised to take me to NGL. You said you'd swallow a thousand needles if you broke that promise."

To Killua's surprise, Gon was standing tall and straight, without faltering or backing away.

"Hnn. I'm sorry."

"I don't want an apology but there's no point in having you swallow a thousand needles." She lamented.

"Hnn. So what can I do to make up for it?"

Killua winced internally. _Oi oi, careful Gon. This freak can ask for something impossible or lethal. Your guilt might have you to agree to whatever she asks._

Palm considered this for a second. "Let's see…You must..." She raised a finger to emphasize her next words. "do any one thing I say."

Killua frowned. _Tch! I was afraid this would happen. "_ Hey! Right now, do you know how Gon feels-"

"Ok. I agree."

Killua turned to his friend,surprised he would comply to such a vague request. Gon kept his eyes on Palm, waiting for her instructions.

Killua tensed.

"Go out with me."

Gon raised his eyebrows as his eyes widened. Killua's face had the same changes except his expression was more of a disgusted one. Neither of them dared to speak.

"Go out with me.." Palm repeated as she lifted her knife in a threatening manner.

Killua's jaw dropped. The insistence and aggressiveness she was now using on her posture and speech annoyed Killua.

"Ok."

"Huh!?" Killua was now even more lost and infuriated not only at Palm, but at his friend too. "Do you have any idea what you're doing!?"

Gon blinked twice at him. "Yeah, but I did say I'd do anything."

 _Ugh! There's no hope in changing his mind once he's determined on doing something._

Sometimes he really wished Gon wasn't so...Gon.

Killua pointed accusingly at Palm. "And you have no problem playing dirty like this!?"

"This is none of your business. It's _our_ problem." Suddenly, in a creepy and weird way, Palm's dark image was glowing with a girly and shy feeling. "It's up to the two of us." She squealed and twitched as soon the words left her lips. It might have been kinda cute if she wasn't holding a dull knife in her right hand. _Might_ have.

Killua thought he was going to throw up. Gon was just speechless at her weird attitude.

The silver haired boy got close enough to his friend to whisper a warning in his ear. "You should stay away from her, Gon."

"Don't interrupt us!" Her shoujo like atmosphere disappeared. "This is something the of us must decide alone!"

Their bickering kept on going for a while. Killua tried to undo the deal, Palm shutted him up him several times to no avail and Gon just went with the flow. Killua realized there was no way out of this, he was just making Palm angrier.

Finally, they reached the decision that tomorrow Gon and Palm would be having their date. Killua pretty much accepted the fact that Gon would have done anything she would have asked but what had him curious was that Gon showed no signs of being nervous or insecure. He acted as he knew what he was doing.

They were on their way to the gym after the arrangement was done and Killua was still bothered by this. _He did say he had to prepare the date. Does he have the date already planned out? Was he bluffing to calm her down? No. Gon is way too honest and straightforward to bluff that casually._

Killua suddenly felt someone's aura around him. It disappeared as fast as it had made itself present. He stiffened and looked at Gon. ARS was still attached to his back and his friend hadn't notice the fleeting En wave.

 _The aura wasn't hostile. It felt soothing and friendly. Wait, could it be..?_

"Oi! Killua! Gon! Wait for me!"

 _Yup. It was her aura, alright._

Both boys turned to see Kaala running towards them. Gon smiled and waved at her.

"Kaala, tadaima!"

Kaala was panting lightly when she catched up to them. She smiled. "Okaeri."

Killua was relieved it was Kaala's En but he was still angry at her carelessness.

"You idiot! Don't scare me like that."

She pouted. "You just got back and you're already lecturing me?"

Killua sighed. "Just… don't go around doing that kind of things, ok? It attracts unwanted attention."

Kaala frowned.

Gon intervened before they got into each other's nerves. "It's fine, it's fine. She won't do it again, right Kaala?"

She crossed her arms. "Yeah, alright. I won't do it again." She glared at both of them. "But I wouldn't have done it if you guys would've called me as soon as you arrived."

"We were expecting to see you back at the hotel." Answered Gon as he shrugged.

"Yeah, where were you, by the way?" Killua asked defensively.

"As far away as I could from Palm. Her killer intent was driving me crazy." She placed her hands on her head as she remembered the horrible feeling. "I could still feel it no matter where I went and then, suddenly, it disappeared. I knew you guys must have returned and when I found her apologizing to **.doll** , she told me you guys went to the gym." She looked at Gon with a questioning face. "What was that about?"

Killua sighed and Gon laughed awkwardly. They explained it all as they walked and Killua found quite reassuring she agreed with him in how dangerous it was for Gon to accept Palm's vague request.

Killua noticed Kaala was carrying a big bag with her and assumed she was thinking of training with them.

He guessed correctly, because when they reached the gym, she shyly asked what he expected. "Killua, Gon. Can you… teach me?"

Gon raised his eyebrows. "Teach you?"

Kaala did some poor impressions of someone lifting weights. "Yeah, you know...how to train and do physical exercises to gain muscle." She then flexed her arms and poked at her very thin biceps. "I could REALLY use some, you know."

Killua scoffed in a very mocking way.

Kaala blushed and frowned. She looked hurt. "What's so funny? I've never done actual physical training like you guys."

Killua waved his hand dismissively. "Gomen, gomen. I wasn't mocking your muscle tone, I was laughing at your way of asking. That's not how you lift weights, by the way."

Kaala blinked twice and blushed in guilt. "Oh."

Killua kept smiling. "Don't worry. If you're so eager to learn, we'll teach you. But don't think we'll go easy on you."

Gon pointed at himself "I can teach you the basics but Killua knows way more than I do when it comes to complicated techniques and exercises."

"I see." She smiled appreciatively and bowed. "Please take care of me."

They both got flustered at the propriety. Killua blushed and responded more aggressively than he intended to. "I-idiot! What's with the sudden formality? Stop bowing, it's embarrassing." He looked away.

Kaala straightened and as she laughed she pulled the skin under her eye with a finger and stuck out her tongue in a mocking manner.

Killua realized what she had done. "Y-you did it on purpose!"

She placed her hands on her hip. "Serves you right for lecturing me earlier."

Killua scowled. Gon laughed.

They went inside the gym and Kaala began her lesson in the correct way to hold the weights, kettlebells, racks and bars and the correct use of some common exercise machines. Once everything was covered, Killua assigned her a routine for the day. He measured her strength and stamina in some quick tests he chose and set the amount of stress her body could manage for each exercise.

Unsurprisingly, Kaala was indeed pretty weak.

 _Hard to believe she beat Knuckle._

At first, Kaala found the exercises quite easy, but she had never done this kind of training before. She didn't know that even though the weights weren't that heavy, the nonstop repetition of the same movement can wear you out pretty good.

Killua and Gon were fresh as a lettuce as they did their own work outs. While they did, Killua thought back several times on the fact that Gon and Palm were going on a date and Gon seemed completely ok with it. Comfortable even.

"Gon, you're amazing." he expressed with admiration as he did some barbell curls with a bar with several really heavy weight plates.

Gon looked puzzled. "Huh? What do you mean?" He had his own bar and was performing the same exercise.

Kaala, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, stopped to rest and listen to their conversation.

Killua paused as well as he explained himself. "Well, listening to you talk to Palm, you seemed used to this stuff."

Gon distractedly answered as he focused on his workout. "Oh, really?"

The way Gon brushed it off pretty easily, left him unsatisfied. More curious even. He looked at his friend.

"I was wondering… have been on a date before?"

This time Gon did look at his friend. "Sure, I have."

Killua felt as if a rock had fallen on his head.

 _He answered as if dating was the most natural thing ever. Well, maybe it is for normal people?_

Gon smiled. "Well, most of them were with Mito-san."

Killua found his composure. "Oh, that makes sense…" But then, he repeated Gon's words inside his head and realized something. "Wait, who else was there?"

"Oh, some of the fishing boats that stopped at Whale Island were full of women, some of whom liked younger men."

"Hmm. So women can be like that too, huh?" Kaala added. Killua totally forgot she was there for a moment.

He was starting to panic. He knew where the story was going. Gon continued.

"So I took them around the village and had them teach me things."

Kaala's face was unreadable but Killua guessed it must be quite surprise to learn Gon isn't as innocent as he looks.

That included him. His eye twitched. _Teach him things? Th-that means he's a grown up!_

To Killua's dismay, Gon kept going. "Women like that were called fanatics." He looked at his best friend. "Haven't you ever been on a date Killua?"

Killua looked down in embarrassment and pretended to be focused on his barbell some reason, admitting to his best friends, one of them a girl, he'd never been on a date was quite shameful.

"No, of course not. I spent all my time training as an assassin. Ever since I quit, I've been with you."

The green haired Hunter blinked."Oh, yeah."

Killua took a glance at Kaala.

 _'_ _Women can be like that too?' Don't tell me…_

Before he could stop himself, Killua opened his mouth. "Have _you_ been on date before?"

As soon as he said it, he wanted to facepalm himself. He was curious, but not enough to ask her out loud! He did not mean to find out in a so forwardly way.

"I have. Many Hunters come and go at the Hunter's Association Building. Some men were how Gon describes the women on those boats: they like younger girls."

A second rock fell, hurting Killua's pride. It was silly, but somehow Killua felt a little cast out by the simple and dumb fact that he never dated anyone in his life. He lifted the bar up to his chest as resumed his training.

He thought he had full control over his emotions. He thought he had full control over his expressions, his facade and body language since he trained for years to be cold and indifferent to his environment. But maybe, after 2 years of leaving assassin tutelage behind, his control over involuntary actions was fading, because Kaala must have seen something that drove her to say the next words.

"I have an idea." Killua started lowing the heavy bar slowly. "Let's have a date, Killua."

The shock made him lose every focus he had on his actions. The bar and the weight plates were abruptly too heavy for him and stumbled forward along with the equipment.

Startled by his fall, Gon, worried about his friend, left aside his own bar and crouched beside him. "Killua, are you ok? What happened?"

Before she could get close to check on him, he stood up, flustered.

"Wh-what are you saying!? Baka! Don't say those kind of things so lightly!"

Kaala scoffed and crossed her arms, no longer worried about his health. He clearly was fine.

"If you don't want to, you just had to say 'no'. No need to answer like it's the most horrible idea ever."

Killua noticed she misunderstood his words. "No no no. You got it all wrong! What I meant is why the hell would you ask me on a date?"

Kaala uncrossed her arms and his expression softened. "Well, why not?" She shrugged and smiled. "That way you can say you dated someone. At least once."

Killua blinked. Her offer was way more innocent than it sounded like before. He felt his cheeks getting hot but looked away before it was noticeable.

"O-ok. Sounds… alright." He scratched his red cheek. "Th-thanks, I guess."

"No problem."

He couldn't see her expression but she sounded genuinely happy to help. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact that he felt a twinge of disappointment. He wondered if that feeling meant something else was going on with him. He shook his head and told himself it was nothing.

Somehow, he suspected he was getting better at lying, even to himself.

* * *

Kaala was about to resume her routine when Gon's Beetle 07 started beeping. Gon lowered his bar and picked up his cell phone to answer the call. After a few minutes, the call ended and Gon remained in place, without moving an inch for a few seconds.

Kaala was about to ask if everything was fine when Gon jumped in pure joy.

"YATTA! I knew Kite was alive!" His hands were tightly packed into fists and shaking in happiness.

Once his euphoria died down a little, he proceeded to discuss the information had given him about Kite to his friends. Killua was relieved in a more composed way and Kaala was pleased to see them as happy as they have been the last few days.

Then she noticed Gon looking down with a pitiful face. Her stomach contorted in disgust and fear. Was there bad news as well? Was her grandfather alright?

Killua asked first.

"Gon, what is it?"

Gon stared at the floor for a few seconds and then lifted his face to see into Kaala's eyes.

Her heart was beating like a drum and her goosebumps were making her feel cold. When Gon didn't say anything, she grew anxious and urged his friend to talk by grabbing his arm with some strength.

"Gon, what is it that you're not telling me?"

Gon swallowed and found his voice. "The King was born."

Kaala gasped.

 _So soon? The estimated time said it would take two months, not one!_

She felt dizzy and her stomach was threatening to send back this morning's breakfast. Her pupils were moving from one side to another and her breathing quickened as she entered a state of panic.

Gon, who was closer to her, grabbed her shoulders to steady her. She must look pale and sick if she needed someone to keep her from fainting.

 _I_ _ **should've**_ _predicted his birth. I should've tried harder! I should've found a way to help before this happened! What if jiisan dies!? What if-_

"Kaala! Calm down!" Killua was helping Gon in keeping her on her feet.

Killua's words went in one ear and out the other.

Her panic kept rising and her eyes were still going left and right uncontrollably.

She then felt someone's hands on each side of her head.

"Kaala!"

 _Gon. That's Gon's voice._ Her eyes slowed down to find Gon's face right in front of hers. His eyes were looking deep into her own. A frown made him look angry but as soon a he had Kaala's attention, his face softened.

"Calm down. You've come this far even when many were against you. You can do this and you can count on us. We'll make sure you get to Chairman Netero and stop the Chimera Ants and the King."

Gon smiled reassuringly and Kaala felt her body slowly relaxing. She breathed a couple of times and the world was no longer spinning.

Gon removed his hands. "That's it. Better?"

Kaala holded her hands against her chest to comfort herself as she inhaled through her nose once again and exhaled through her mouth.

"Yes. Thank you, Gon." She didn't want to ask but she had to. "What else did Knuckle say?"

Gon mentioned the warning on finding Chimera Ants around since they were likely to imitate the King following the Queen's death.

Kaala nodded and walked to her weight to continue her routine. Right after she picked it up, a hand found her shoulder.

"I think it's enough training for today." The pale Hunter didn't want Kaala to push herself too hard.

They left the gym and she followed her friends as Gon was arranging his date with Palm. Fortunately, they both left her to her thoughts as they walked around some grounds outside the town.

 _I got a panic attack with just some bad news. Jesus! I must be the most coward Hunter ever!_

In all honesty, she didn't feel like a real Hunter despite having her very own license. She didn't have any specific purpose for it except travelling and research. Not that she had a specific topic to research about. She just likes to read whatever she finds interesting at the moment whenever she wants.

Travelling was another plus because you get to learn and taste new things. There wasn't any real purpose behind it either, she just enjoyed it.

Her eyes travelled to her best friend's backs. They seemed to be whispering about something and, even though they were acting casual, the fact that they were whispering made the conversation topic obvious.

 _I'm right here, you know?_

She sighed. Her worst fear became a reality: her grandfather will face the king of the Chimera Ants.

 _Now that is happening, I don't know what to do. Knuckle said they would be coming back in 3 days. Is Netero-jiisan coming too? Should I confront him? Try to convince him? Sneak behind him and try to use Announcement from God on him? What if he doesn't show up? He knows I'm here so he might not come at all…_

She looked up to the sky, as if the answer would fall from the clouds like rain.

 _I do rely too much on my abilities. I hate uncertainty… and it looks like I don't react well to it._

Kaala checked on her friends once again and Gon was picking a dried branch from a bush.

"If you hand that to her, won't she freak out?" Killua wasn't too convinced of that present.

"Hmm.. If I just hand it to her, probably…"

"Whatever…. Let's get back to town." Killua glanced back to check on her.

She smiled softly. Trying to not show her real mood but not even trying to fool him,either. "Let's go."

This time, Kaala walked next to Gon, asking him about his plans for tomorrow's date with Killua a few steps back.

She felt incredibly grateful for meeting these two. They all had grown to care for each other and she was sure things wouldn't have gone so smoothly without them. She just hoped they could stay together longer than just this mission. Maybe she could join their adventures, look for Ging or travel around the world. The idea of traveling together sounded wonderful to her. And the best things would be that the adventures would be a surprise, something to look forward without knowing what great things you'll be experiencing.

 _A very pleasant uncertainty._

* * *

The next morning, Gon was ready for his date, Killua was ready to train at the gym and Kaala... was completely sore and exhausted.

"You're going to the gym!? Aren't you beaten from yesterday's workout?"

Killua shrugged. "I'm used to it. I've been doing harsh trainings since I was small. Even harsher than yesterday's. The fact that you're so affected means you really need to exercise more frequently."

"There's no way I'm going near that gym today. I'm staying in bed. Have fun sweating buckets." She turned to Gon. "May your suffering be brief. I'll pray for your sanity and health." She added jokingly.

Gon laughed. "C'mon, don't exaggerate. See you guys later." He sprinted away.

"I'll be going too. Ja na."

"Byeee." She waved goodbye.

Kaala was serious when she said she wanted to stay in bed. And she did. At least for a few hours when she grew incredibly bored. She went to the kitchen and ate some leftovers but still wasn't enough to kill her boredom.

 _Maybe I can look around some stores and buy… I don't know, something._

Her legs ached with every move but walking was bearable.

The street was full of people. Lovers, families, young men and women, children, dogs, Killua…

 _Killua?_

She got closer to look at the young man with the ridiculous hat. It was, indeed, Killua.

 _Why is he here? Wasn't he spending all day in the gym?_

He was pretending to read the newspaper to hide his face from… whom?

Kaala looked around and found Gon and Palm sitting at a table of a simple restaurant or cafe, sipping from the same drink.

 _...Is he stalking Gon and Palm? Is he that worried about Palm harming him?_

The sudden realization hit her.

 _Chimera Ants! He's worried about the Chimera Ants attacking Gon while he has ARS attached!_

She had to admit his devotion to protect his friend was admirable. But at the same time, she wanted revenge for yesterday's lecture. She got as close as she could without making a sound and using Zetsu, she closed the space between them and whispered.

"Stalker."

Killua fell on his back into the fountain making a very loud splash sound. Kaala crouched as fast as she could to avoid being seen and miraculously, it worked. They were not spotted.

Killua sat up on the fountain floor and sent her a death stare as she stood up. If he could, she was sure he would yell at her for almost ruining his plan.

Instead, he growled and he commanded with his eyes to help him out.

Killua was really mad and he growled at her as low as he could. "What the hell Kaala? You almost exposed me."

"You deserved it for lying and for teasing me yesterday morning."

"Tch! Go home. I don't have time for you right now." He glanced at his friend to make sure there wasn't anything unusual around.

"Let me come with you."

"No chance. You'll just get in my way. I can't protect the two of you against one Chimera Ant. Go back and stay put."

"You know I can…"

"Help." He finished for her. "I know. I don't want it. You'll either end up revealing me to them or become a burden if a fight should happen" He said harshly.

His words stung and she didn't answer for a few seconds.

"Fine." She hissed as she stood up and walked away before he could say anything else.

But instead of leaving, she hid from him again, keeping her distance.

 _End up revealing you? HA! I have better Zetsu than you!_

And so, the rest of the day, the 'lovebirds' were stalked by Killua and Killua was stalked by Kaala.

At sunset, they walked far away from the crowd, deep into the forest. Kaala recalled Gon's plan for the date.

 _If I'm right, this is the last stop._

Out here, following someone was harder. No people to blend in and in a quieter atmosphere it's easier to be heard. This was a challenge, even for Killua.

She was enjoying the challenge though, even when her whole body ached with every step and crouch and turn. But everything changed when a presence appeared nearby.

She tensed and looked at Killua. He tossed his hat and ran towards the aura's location.

 _Oh no! It can't be an Ant!_

She followed him closely with some difficulty. Her body wasn't in optimal condition and her muscles were hardly obeying her.

 _Shit._

She came to a halt and used a thick tree trunk as cover. Killua had intercepted the owner of the aura.

Kaala gasped. The ant had bunny ears and front teeth, strong wings and powerful legs covered in white feathers and fur. But the most scary thing was his Nen and killer intent.

She felt her hands shake. If he notices her, she was done for. Right when she thought there would be no more surprises, he talked.

"Oh, I thought I smelled a human…"

Killua's eyes widened as he realized he had met the Chimera Ant before him.

"I remember you." His aura spiked furiously around him. Kaala was starting to panic again. "You're one of those kids from before! Looks like your luck's run out." He lifted it's wings to the sides that were his arms at the same time. "You're about to get a taste of hell. But it won't last forever."

Killua didn't respond. He stared at the Ant with no signs of fear.

Kaala felt like her heart was in her throat. Not allowing her to breath and feeling every pump in her ears.

 _Ki-Killua already met this thing!? How can he be so calm with such a strong Nen threatening him!?_

 _"_ Where's the other kid? Once you tell me his location, I'll give you an easy death. Well, he can't be that far away… He's your buddy, right?"

 _Gon! Should I go warn him? But if I move, the Ant will definitely feel my presence and doom us all because of me._

"Well, it doesn't matter if you talk or not. I'll just walk around making lots of noise and swinging your severed head. Then he'll come to me himself."

Kaala almost threw up at the comment.

The Ant smiled. "Isn't that how humans are?"

Killua got in position and released his Nen, prepared to fight.

A sweat drop ran down her cheek and her knuckles got white as she tight her hands into fists. She couldn't giht. She couldn't run away. She could only stay where she was and hope for the best.

 _You were right, Killua. I shouldn't have followed you._

She pressed her hands together with her fingers interlaced and brought them up to her forehead.

 _Please, Killua. Don't die!_

* * *

Hey guys. Surprise, surprise! Another broken promise. Almost a month and a half since I posted the last chapter. For once, I do have a valid excuse. Besides work and college, something tragic happened: I lost someone really close to me. No one saw it coming and, if you have lost a family member before, you know it's pretty messy and complicated and VERY emotional. So, this chapter got delayed but I hope you understand. I usually reread the chapter when I'm about to post it because I always find something to fix but today I'll skip it so sorry if there are any mistakes around.

In a happier note, I posted a Moana one shot a few weeks ago called _A Tale of Wind and Sea._ I'm very proud of it and I would love to hear your opinion! I've been thinking of posting some Moana short stories I have been writing so I might upload a finished one right now as well.

Sorry I'm not responding to any comments this time but I do read and appreciate all of them! Thank you for reviewing!

See ya in a month!


	7. Fear X and X Trust

**Chapter 5**

 **Fear X and X Trust**

* * *

Kaala was frozen in place, refusing to leave her hiding spot and endanger her friends. She could only witness how Killua got thrown, kicked and punched all around.

He seemed so confident when the enemy appeared but right before the battle started, his face contorted in horror, his body tensed in fear and his breathing quickened. She knew those signs: Killua was panicking. Now, the Chimera Ant was playing with him like he was a ragdoll. Causing pain and suffering on the young Hunter was amusing and fun to the hybrid creature.

Kaala found the Ant's tastes repulsive and she wanted nothing more than to kill him for hurting Killua like that.

 _What's going on, Killua? Why are you not fighting back?_

She cursed internally for leaving her swords back at the hotel. With the warning Knuckle gave them, she should've brought her weapons with her. Netero-jiisan and Knuckle would be highly disappointed on her if they knew. But right now, she couldn't care less about that; she just wanted Killua to be safe and for the Chimera Ant to die.

She felt useless and worthless. She didn't even dare to use her abilities, afraid they would notice her and make things harder for Killua.

["No chance. You'll just get in my way. I can't protect the two of you against one Chimera Ant"]

 _God damn it! What should I do!?_

Time passed. Night came and Killua hadn't even landed a single punch or kick on his rival. Instead, he took a kick to the stomach that sent him flying back several meters.

The Chimera Ant walked towards the pitiful human. A disgusting smile on his face. He lifted his right leg and started stomping hard on the side of Killua's ribcage as he laughed maniacally.

"Did you piss yourself or something?"

 **Stomp stomp**

"Well!? Can't even move a muscle?"

 **Stomp stomp**

 **"** Lose your spine? HAHAHAHAHA!"

Kaala started feeling literally sick. It just got worse when the Chimera Ant started spouting that he wanted to kill the young Hunter but keeping him alive would prolong his sadistic pleasure.

Hot tears starting running down her cheeks and her back slid down the trunk until she was sitting at it's roots. She had to use her hands to cover her sobs. Not that the Chimera Ant would hear them over the sound of his fists and feet hitting human flesh and bones.

 _Is this what we'll find in NGL? Are all Chimera Ants this ruthless? Oh god..._

The massacre continued and Kaala was about to lose her mind when suddenly someone spoke. And it wasn't the giant creature.

"...because… we're friends."

She looked at Killua and he had tears of his own. He struggled to stand up.

"You're my dear friend."

He suddenly grabbed his forehead with his hand as if he just got a horrible headache.

The Chimera Ant was now salivating and mumbling something about not able to contain himself anymore.

Killua raised his head despite the pain. "I don't want to lose him..."

The Chimera Ant prepared his final blow, ready to taste victory and enjoy the feeling of death on his hands.

"...my very..."

The enemy charged at full speed, his sharp nails ready to behead the silver haired boy.

 _KILLUA!_

"...DEAR FRIEND!" Killua ripped something from his forehead as he screamed in pain and frustration. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared right when the Ant's sharp fingers sliced air, where he stood.

The Chimera Ant and Kaala blinked. The creature turned and found Killua staring at his open palm, laughing.

Kaala could only stare in awe.

 _I..I don't understand. What happened?_

Killua kept laughing. A laugh of relief as he looked at his hand while drops of blood fell on it.

"He got me. Illumi must have planted this..." He faced the Chimera Ant. Not with hate, or fear but with a compassionate smile. He pointed at his self-induced injury. "...in my head."

Kaala couldn't see what it was, but it must be something small if it fits on your hand and can be planted inside your head.

 _Who could do that kind of thing?_

"Huh? What are you talking about?" spat the Chimera Ant. "Have you lost your mind? How did you dodge that?"

Killua ignored the question and cleaned the blood from his head. "I feel so much better. I'm completely awake now. Or maybe I should say I'm liberated."

Kaala was lost. What was inside his head? Why is removing it liberating him? From what? From whom?

"I have a message for the other Ants." His innocent smile turned into a wicked one.

"If you come anywhere near us, your lives are over."

Kaala got goosebumps and her legs felt like jello.

 _I-I've never seen Killua like this. Is this what you become when you're part of a family of assassins?_

She had to remind herself that Killua was her friend and would never hurt her. She had to ignore her instincts telling her to run away from Killua.

To her surprise, the Ant was having a similar internal struggle. He was shaking in fear but his pride was preventing him from leaving his prey.

"BULLSHIT!"

In a swift motion, Killua severed the head of the Ant and his body fell to the floor.

"Very well. Then don't bother." He squeezed the skull with his fingers to finish the kill and dropped the head as if it was a football.

* * *

 _Damn it. That took a long time and he gave me a hell of a beating. I should head back and find G-_

 _"_ _KILLUA!"_

He saw a flash of light brown and purple and suddenly a couple of arms were wrapped around his torso, hugging him tightly. Her face was buried in his chest.

 _Wha-!? How!? When did-!?_

He was so confused by Kaala's presence that he didn't have time to be embarrassed by her affection.

"You-! What are you doing here!?"

He didn't get an answer. Kaala was too busy crying and sobbing and making his shirt wet.

Killua blinked.

He didn't think she would be able to hide from him _and_ a Chimera Ant.

 _Did she see the whole thing? If she did, then it's no wonder she is crying in fear. The Ants are pretty intimidating and powerful at first sight. Actually, at any sight._

He stared at her head and moved his arms awkwardly around her body without touching her, not knowing how to comfort her.

 _Oi, oi! What are you supposed to do in this situations!?_

Flustered, he debated if he should hug her back or pat her head or rub her shoulders or something like that.

Her violent sobs, trembling body and the strength of her arms around him suggested she was really affected.

His heart squeezed at the sight. He forgot about logic and propriety. She needed support, not a calculated and cold response.

He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's ok. The Ant is dead and there are no more nearby. You're safe. I'll protect you if anymore should ap-."

She brusquely let go of him to grab the front of his now damp shirt. Now he had a clear view of her face and along the runny nose, puffy eyes and blushed cheeks, there was a deep frown.

She was angry. Very angry.

"You moron!"

 **Hic**

"I'm not crying because-"

 **Hic**

"I was scared of dying-"

 **Hic**

 **"** You stupid, blind idiot!"

 **Hic**

A few sobs escaped her, interrupting her before she was finished. Killua would have laughed so hard at her attempt to insult him, but Kaala was so upset that he resisted.

Anger transformed back to sadness and doubt.

"Why didn't you fight back?"

Then it hit him. She was crying because she thought he would be killed! She was crying for him!

Fresh tears slid down her face and he felt many emotions at the same time.

Guilt. Surprise. Joy. Relief. Sadness.

No one ever cried like that for his sake. Not even his family. Especially his family. The fact she was crying because of him, made him warm inside. Made him realize he truly had great friends by his side that also wanted to keep him safe.

Ever since he met Gon, he only thought of protecting him. It never came to his mind that Gon could feel the same way about him. Kaala as well.

He promised himself to consider their feelings in the future and be a little more perceptive.

Even if her actions made him feel loved by his friends, he didn't like Kaala feeling miserable because of him. He was the cause of her tears and anguish and knowing that was more painful that any of Rammot's punches.

Overwhelmed by emotions, Killua threw his arms around her in a tight hug, bringing her face back to his chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

Kaala returned his hug with a soft grip.

"It's ok. _You're_ ok."

Funny. She was the one crying and he ended up comforted by her.

But he didn't mind. Her warmth felt good, she smelled nice and her touch swept his worries away. At least for a brief time.

They remained like that for a few moments until Kaala carefully pushed him away to break the hug. Curiosity got the best of her.

"What was the thing inside your head? Where did it come from?"

"Oh." He took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "It's one of Illumi-niisan's nasty needles. He manipulates people with those."

Her mouth twitched in disgust. "That's barbaric."

"Hnn. And that little bastard…" He pointed at the needle. "was the cause of all my problems."

Kaala gasped. "That means you can stay with Gon!?"

He smiled in triumph as an answer and Kaala beamed and jumped like a bunny in her excitement.

"That's wonderful, Killua!"

Her change of mood made him feel so much better and relieved.

 _Crying like that doesn't suit her._

Then she stared at the little object still in her hand.

"You think your brother knows? Does he feel anything of a sort when this happens?"

Killua shrugged. "Beats me. I hope that asshole does and refrains from doing it again."

Kaala frowned as she analyzed the needle and snapped it in two. Then snapped each half. Then, since the pieces were too small to break, she threw them in the ground and stomped on them.

"I do hope he feels that!"

That got him to laugh, and it felt good despite the pain in his rib cage.

When he was done, he turned serious again as he remembered his mission.

"Well, we wasted too much time here. Let's find Gon and Palm and make sure they're ok."

They sprinted to the last place they've seen them but only their belongings remained. Concerned, they took their possessions and headed back to the hotel, hoping nothing wrong had happened to their friend.

What they found though, had them really confused. Gon was painting kanjis with a brush and black ink on the floor. A hundred, no, a thousand already painted pieces of paper were scattered around the room. The place was barely lit with a single candle.

Standing in front of Gon, Palm was supervising his work, knife in hand. She turned at the intruders, her face no longer as lovely as before.

Killua walked to the middle of the room. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Palm answered for Gon. "Huh? Can't you tell? I'm punishing him for toying with my feelings!"

"What the hell? You're the one who is being unreasonable!"

As Killua argued with Palm, Kaala crouched next to Gon to check on his state. From what he could hear, he wasn't hurt.

 _Well, at least he's ok._

Palm noticed Kaala's proximity to his date and pointed the knife at her.

"Don't you dare interrupt his punishment! He must pay! If you insist in getting in our way… I'll kill you!"

At the sound of that threat, Killua placed himself between Palm and his friends before she could throw herself or the knife at them.

This only fueled her rage. "Leave us alone! This is none of your business!"

"Right back at you, baaaaaka! Why don't you make yourself scarce?"

Palm's eyes widened and became speechless. Then, her face fell, like she was abruptly tired.

"Why are you injured?"

Killua scoffed. "I was training. Got a problem with that?"

Her pupils rolled to Kaala. "Why were you crying?"

Kaala stiffened. Lying was not an option, but telling the truth wasn't either. Kaala looked away and said the only thing that she could say: a half truth.

"I-It's Killua's fault."

Killua winced internally. That made him look more guilty than he actually was.

Gon spoke for the first time. "Killua! Why would you do that? What did you do to Kaala!?"

Killua flinched and blushed. He raised his hands in defense and tried to come up with a response.

"No, it's just… I didn't... she was...ugh! It's not the time for this!"

Then, he disappeared and a knife had taken his place.

"Palm." sighed Gon.

Killua was now at the other side of the room. "It's useless. I could dodge your knife in my sleep."

Palm trembled with anger. "I was so sure he was dead." Her trembling got worse by the second. She was bottling her rage, ready to explode at any moment.

She took air and released a unbearable war cry from the top of her lungs.

Killua and Kaala jumped, startled by the inhuman sound. Gon was just sitting there with a guilty expression.

 _I have to get them out of here!_

Killua scooped up his friends by the stomach and ran away from the place, Palm following not very far behind swinging her knife around.

"Wait! I'll kill you!"

 _Pff! No way in hell I'm stopping._

He glanced back and felt Palm's killer intent as she ran with all her might. He actually felt slightly scared.

"Catch us if you can, baaaka!"

She scowled at the challenge."Waaaaait!"

Slowly but surely, they were leaving Palm behind. When she was no longer in sight, Kaala sighed in relief. "I think you lost her."

"Killua, stop. You're just making her angrier."

Killua looked at his friend.

 _Unbelievable!_

"If we ditch her here, we'll never see her again! We just have to call Knuckle and tell him we'll meet him somewhere else."

"I'm going back."

Kaala squirmed on his arm.

"Do you want to die, Gon? If you let your guard down, she'll stab you in the back!"

Gon laughed as if it was a joke. "She wouldn't do that! Hahaha!"

Kaala and Killua looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he really was.

"What!?" they both yelled.

"Didn't you see her take that knife at me!?"

Gon just laughed and brushed it off.

"Damn, you're too much, Gon!"

Kaala sighed. "You two are gonna be the end of me."

After they made sure they lost Palm, they registered at the Triple Circle Hotel and looked for a place to eat.

They ordered some food and desserts and discussed the events of the day. Of course, Killua didn't say anything about his fight with the Chimera Ant. Kaala kept eating to avoid spilling any details.

Gon was insisting on going back and pay his debt to the creepy woman.

Killua hit the table with his fist. "Then tell her to wait until Kite is back to normal."

"I did." Gon mumbled with his mouth full.

Killua sighed. There was no way they would reach a compromise with Palm.

"I guess you could say Palm is a fanatic too. She's in her twenties, isn't she?" Kaala pointed out.

"Hmm yeah. The women in the boats were older, though."

Killua refused to go back to the dating topic.

"Now that Knuckle and Shoot and everyone else knows where we are, we just need to avoid Palm. Outside from that, we can relax." He brought his drink to his lips.

"Oh!" Gon brightened. "You and Kaala can have your date, then."

Killua spat his tea on Gon who was sitting right in front of him.

He didn't expect his friend to bring that up. His face started getting hot at the thought of going on a date. With Kaala!

Besides, with Chimera Ants roaming the area, there was no way he was leaving Gon by himself without Kaala or him to sense danger.

Gon took a napkin to dry himself as he threw a confused and annoyed glance at him. Kaala giggled. Killua's shyness was amusing.

"Gon, now's not the time for that. Besides, we already decided to wait until the Chimera Ant mission was over."

Kaala blinked twice before she understood what just happened. Before Gon could ask her if it was true, she stuffed her mouth with Killua's dessert. Watching his cake being devoured was devastating but if it was the price for Kaala's silence, he would gladly pay for it.

After dinner, they headed to their rooms but before Kaala went inside her own, Gon remembered something.

"Ah! That's right!" He pointed at Killua accusingly. "Killua, what did you do to make Kaala cry?"

They both stiffened and looked at each other for a second before quickly turning away, slightly blushing.

 _If she tries to lie, Gon will suspect something's not right. I have to come up with something that is not the whole truth but not a lie either._

Killua sighed. "I didn't do anything wrong. She's just a crybaby."

 _I hope this is enough._

Kaala gaped and sent him a 'I can't believe you!' face. "That's not… it isn't… I'm just…!" Her shoulders fell in defeat. "Yeah, alright. I admit it. I really am a crybaby."

Gon seemed unconvinced. "That's no reason to make her cry."

Killua patted the top of her head twice. "Don't worry. We already made peace."

Kaala smiled reassuringly and placed her hand on Gon's shoulder. "I'm fine, Gon. Thank you for worrying about me." She looked at both of them seriously. "To be honest, I'm terrified of going to NGL but you two gave me the strength I needed." Her smile came back and the corner of her eyes started to water. "Whatever happens out there, I couldn't have found better friends to face it with."

Gon beamed. "Hnn. We have your back, Kaala!"

Killua looked away in embarrassment, a pink hue in his cheeks. "It's nothing really. It's the obvious thing to help your comrades."

Kaala giggled and dried her eyes. "I'm drained and full at the same time." She rubbed her belly. "I'm going to bed now. Good night, guys. See you tomorrow."

"Good night." They both replied.

As always, they were sleeping in separate beds but sharing the same room. Killua changed his clothes, brushed his teeth and fell on his bed.

He sighed in relief. The bed was very comfortable and he had a rough day. He recalled today's events and it was hard to believe it all happened in the last 24 hours.

Stalking Gon, fighting a Chimera Ant, dealing with Palm…

Kaala's hug.

The memory made his heart squeeze. The overflowing emotions had clouded his mind from what was really happening. Now, with his head clear, he realized how intimate it had been.

 _She looked so upset. So sad. And all because she was worried about me._

He imagined what it would be like if their roles were reversed and his stomach twisted in disgust. He rather be the one in pain and in danger than see Kaala going through what he went through today.

And then a scary thought crossed his mind: what if she really goes through painful things in NGL? They were heading to the nest. The very heart of the colony. They might find dozens or hundreds of Chimera Ants stronger than Rammot. Even with her predicting abilities, there was no way she could see everything coming. She could get hurt. She could get killed.

His hand tightened into a fist, wrinkling the sheets that got tangled between his fingers.

 _No. I won't let it happen._

Since dark thought's were the usual cause for his insomnia, he pushed them aside and focused on the touching moment he shared with Kaala today.

He slept like a baby.

* * *

The following day, they did what Killua suggested: relax. They bought some Chocorobot and sat in the middle of the park to enjoy the beautiful day. Killua opened his box and found a very common type of Chocorobot.

"Meh...again. That's the third one." He sighed.

"What's wrong with that one?" asked Kaala. She never cared much for toys or collecting any kind of object. Hoarding useless stuff didn't sound interesting to her.

"It's a very ordinary one. Look at the colors. The cool ones are colored like copper, silver, gold and platinum. But they are really hard to find."

Gon pulled out the Chocorobot from his box and the golden toy shined with the sunlight.

Killua gaped. "Oh! A secret one!"

Gon blinked. "Really?"

Killua stared at the rare object. "Yeah, you can auction it on the net for a lot of money."

"Eh? People pay that much for a simple toy?" Kaala asked in disbelief.

"Of course. Why waste time looking for them yourself when you can pay for it and get it faster?"

Kaala arched an eyebrow and sighed. "I don't know, sounds like a waste of money to me. I don't understand collectionists. In the end, collections only exist to brag."

Killua scoffed, offended by her ignorance and narrowed perspective.

"Not all collectionists are shallow, Kaala." Gon looked at her in the eye. "We have a friend that is collecting precious items, not for himself, but for his people."

Killua knew he was referring to Kurapika.

Kaala looked at Gon, then to Killua and realized she offended them both.

"Sorry. I guess I shouldn't generalize."

Gon smiled. "It's fine."

"Don't sweat it." Killua said as he stared back at the golden robot.

Gon noticed and extended his hand with the toy on it. "You can have it."

Killua pouted. "Not interested. It's no fun if you don't open it yourself. Keep it, it's yours."

Kaala's eyes widened as she got an idea. She looked around, trying to remember something. "I'll be right back." And she ran off.

"Ok." Gon and Killua answered.

Killua took the chocolate from his box, threw it in the air and catched it with his mouth. He chewed and licked his lips to savored every bit of the candy.

Gon stared at him. "Did something happen?"

Killua considered the motive behind the question.

 _Am I acting different than usual?_

He was in a good mood even though yesterday was full of complicated events. He recalled them in quick review and realized his mind got stuck at the encounter with Kaala in the forest. His chest felt warm and light again. The fact that every bad moment he experienced yesterday was overcome by that happy memory, was definitely telling him something. He had to dig deeper into that, but right now, Gon needed an answer.

"Huh? Not really."

If Gon didn't buy that, he did not show it. He just hummed in response.

10 minutes later, Kaala came back.

"Sorry for making you wait." Kaala appeared before them, her hands hiding behind her back. She was beaming and was clearly eager to say or do something.

Killua got suspicious. "Where did you run off to?"

She smiled even wider and brought her hands forward, offering Killua a tiny box.

Killua stared at the box, unimpressed. "Another Chocorobot?"

"Yup. Open it."

He took the box and removed the carton lids. The toy was beautiful and shiny, but not with a yellow hue.

 _Silver? No… wait!_

He took the toy out to observe the color in the light.

"No way! A platinum!?" He stared at it with a wide smile and eyes big as plates. "How did you get this!?"

"Let's just say someone will be very disappointed in about two months."

Killua gaped and then smiled in a evil and smug way. "You didn't."

Kaala stuck her tongue out playfully. "I did. I wasn't expecting it to work but it did, thankfully."

"You're awesome, Kaala! This is definitely going to my personal collection."

Kaala sat next to Killua. "You have your own? How many do you have?"

As Killua described his Chocorobot collection, Gon observed them interact. He isn't the brightest or the most intuitive person, but he was observant and he noticed Killua was the happiest when Kaala was around.

He smiled. His friend was opening to more people. He was learning to trust and share more with them every day.

His train of thought broke when Killua jumped off his seat.

"Let's hit the gym."

Gon nodded with enthusiasm. "Ok!"

Kaala's grin faded as she whined. "Ehhhhh? Aren't we going to rest?"

Killua placed his hands on his hip. "Don't be so lazy. C'mon, I have a routine for you. Especially designed to gain muscle in a short amount of time."

Gon lifted a finger. "You'll get used to it, Kaala. I promise."

"You have to eat enough protein as well. Your diet is not balanced enough to make up for the exercise." Added Killua.

Kaala made a low, exasperated noise.

"You were the one who asked to be trained!" Complained the silver haired boy. "Now that we're going to NGL, you need more physical strength than ever."

"I didn't think it would be so hard. I just recovered from the workout session we had two days ago." She clasped her hands together. "Can't we just rest until the others come back?"

"No. The sooner, the better."

Kaala did another whining noise.

* * *

Their bickering continued but Gon wasn't listening. He was appreciating the presence of his friends, unaware if a certain UMA Hunter stalking them.

 _Kite is alive and coming back. I have Killua and Kaala with me. Everything will be fine now._

Gon was, indeed, not the most intuitive person either. Neither of them knew what was coming and certainly, not everything will be fine.

* * *

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm pretty happy how it turned out and I had a lot of fun writing it. Please let me know what you think! I love reviews so please don't hold back.

Thank you havanatitiana for your support! I'll do my best to keep you happy and entertained!

See ya next chapter!


	8. Burdens X and X Guilt

**Chapter 6**

 **Burdens X and X Guilt**

* * *

The three young Hunters found themselves surrounded by trees and tall grass. They left the town behind 40 minutes ago and the building they were looking for wasn't in sight yet.

"How much further?" asked Gon.

"Not much. Just 400 meters more." Killua answered while he observed his Beetle 07. The blue dot represented their location while the red dot was their destination.

"Was it really necessary to meet this deep in the woods?" Kaala was carefully watching her step. The ground was full of roots, broken branches and few small animals.

"Who knows?" Killua looked around. "This way."

They followed him as he diverged the path slightly.

Kaala's gut was telling her that meeting out here meant something was not right.

 _Could it be they just want to avoid attracting Ants into town?_

That was a valid possibility but it didn't convince her.

 _Am I overthinking this? Maybe I'm just edgy today._

Concern aside, she was really nervous. She didn't know if her grandfather would come and how would he react if he did. Either way, she decided she needed to confront him. With agreement or not, she is participating in the mission. She would make sure of it. Her determination did not stop her palms from sweating or the butterflies in her stomach though.

"I can see them!"

Gon's voice brought her back to reality. She gulped. She walked a little further and 50 meters ahead was Knuckle, Knov, Morel and Shoot. No sign of Netero-jiisan. She sighed. Whether it was relief or disappointment, she didn't know. A little bit of both, maybe.

Knuckle greeted them as usual, Shoot just nodded, Knov said a simple 'hello' and Morel… Morel didn't say anything. He just stared at Kaala with a frown. Morel was carrying his pipe on his shoulders while holding it in place with his right hand. The usual way he moves around with it.

When everyone greeted each other, he lowered his pipe dramatically, making a thump sound when it touched the ground.

"I'm gonna stop you right here, Kaala. You're going back to the Association Building. Right now."

She had to admit, she always found Morel quite intimidating and tough. But just like Knuckle, he had a very soft side and she knew he was getting in her way for the same reason grandfather forbade her to intervene: he wanted to protect her.

Kaala crossed her arms, trying not to show any sign of weakness.

"No. I'm staying. Period."

Morel grumbled. "Tell me, why do want to come with us so badly?"

She blinked. Hadn't it been clear? Does she have to spell it out for him?

"You know very well why I'm here. Everyone does." Her voice had an arrogant tone which she didn't do on purpose but liked how it sounded.

"To save old Netero, right? You really think you can do that?"

Kaala stiffened. His tone was irritating and his question planted doubt inside her. "I... Whether I can or not, I'm not returning and do nothing! If there is a small chance I can guarantee his survival, I'll take it."

"And what about humanity's survival?"

"Shisho..." warned Knuckle.

"No, she needs to hear this." He turned back to Kaala. "The only reason you're here is because you're selfish."

Killua jumped in first. "You're really pissing me off, dude."

"She is not selfish! She's risking her life to save her grandfather!" Complained Gon.

Morel wasn't going to hold back just because they were kids. They need to understand. He pointed at Gon, anger popping veins in his temple. "No! She is risking her life to put everyone else's in danger!"

The three young Hunters gaped. Kaala was incredibly confused. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

Killua took a defensive stance. "Yeah, what the hell are you talking about, man? Isn't saving Netero the same as saving everyone?"

Morel mentally scoffed. _This kids… they don't even bother to try..._

"The old man is worried sick wondering what the hell is Kaala planning. His head is not in the game. And even when he's not using a fraction of his power to get rid of the low ranked ants, one slip could mean his death. Do you really think he could win against the King if he's not 100% focused?"

Kaala froze. I'm… getting in grandfather's way?

"If you insist on going through with whatever it is you want to do, you might doom us all. Chairman Netero is the strongest Hunter there is. Do you think anyone else can take his place?" He took a deep breath. "Kaala, do you really want that burden on your shoulders?"

Her stomach twisted and it was getting hard to breath. She looked at the rest of the pro Hunters.

"Is...is this...true?" Her voice cracked, her body trembled and her vision blurred.

They all looked away except Knov. His hand reached for his glasses to push them back in place.

"Indeed. Morel was more blunt than intended but his statement was the result of all of our observations in the Chairman's behaviour. The obvious conclusion was his concern for you. He seems impatient, distracted and we find him constantly lost in thought while watching the horizon, always east."

Her stomach twisted. The town they were staying at was east from NGL.

The smoke user interrupted. "Give the old bastard some peace of mind and go home. Let him do his job properly."

"Morel. Language." Reprimanded Knov.

Morel brushed his comment off with a flick of his hand. "Wari, wari."

Kaala couldn't hold it in. All her efforts, all her hope was just a nuisance. It was for nothing. She just wanted to help. She just wanted everything to go back to normal. Her grandfather didn't deserve to die in a violent way. He was kind, thoughtful and a sweet goofball. He just happened to be the most powerful Hunter in modern times.

Tears were threatening to roll down her face.

 _Is there really nothing I can do but leave?_

Morel witnessed her internal crumbling.

"The Chairman has a cellphone of his own but he will cut all communication soon and will not restore it until further notice. His silence will start only after I deliver a message he is waiting for: your decision, Kaala."

She swallowed with difficulty. Everyone's eyes were on her and the pressure was too much.

"I….I…"

Kaala didn't know what to do, what to say. Her mind stopped working, her thoughts and feelings too scrambled. Her vocal cords were refusing to cooperate. She was about to break, but she would not fall apart in front of them. She turned around and ran into the woods.

"Oi, wait!"

"Kaala!"

She heard her friends call and shame washed over her.

 _I'm sorry._

* * *

Killua's heart sank. Watching her go like that made him remember the first time he saw her cry just a few days ago. He wanted nothing more than to go after her but she might need some time alone.

He sent a death stare at the pipe dude. The killer intent doubled when Gon did the same.

Morel scoffed. "You think that you scare me? C'mon, brats. You know this is bigger than her and Netero. If you can't see it, you are free to hate me all you want but that will just reinforce the fact that you are not prepared for this mission. So, what's it gonna be?"

Killua knew Morel was right. He was being the unreasonable one. As much as he wanted to blame someone, it wasn't fair.

"Tch! Fine. You could've been more tactful, though."

Morel's nose twitched. "Not my style. Kids might be kids but Hunters should open their eyes as soon as they make the choice to be one."

Knov cleared his throat to bring their attention. "Should we move on to what we came here for?"

"Hnn." Hummed Shoot.

They went ahead and walked towards the building.

The young Hunters peeked at the forest. Kaala was upset, vulnerable and in unknown grounds. They were worried about her safety and emotional condition.

Gon turned to Killua. "She'll be alright. Let's see Kite and we'll look for her together afterwards, ne?"

Killua hid his hands inside his pockets thinking hard on what to do.

"Gon. I want to... ask you something."

"What is it?"

Killua suddenly found the floor very interesting. "It's just… you said you dated many girls back home and I saw how you...made Kaala feel better when she started panicking." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "How did you… do that?"

Gon blinked twice. "You wanna know how to comfort girls?"

Killua blushed furiously and got flustered, but now was not the time to go all tsundere. His eyebrow twitched. "Yeah. That." As if the word would burn his tongue.

Gon saw that Killua was having a hard time asking him for that kind of knowledge, so he took him seriously.

"Hmm. Well, it's not that hard. Mito-san is a very strong woman but she gets frustrated and scared often, so I learned a very effective way to comfort her. You just need to do two things." He raised two fingers to emphasize.

Killua nodded. _Two things. I can do that._

Gon lowered a finger. "First, physical contact."

An imaginary rock fell on Killua's head. Great.

"I always hug Mito-san, or hold her hand or rub her back. Something she feels nice and… well, comforting."

 _Ok, that doesn't sound so bad._

"And second, remind her of her good traits. People think that just promising everything will be alright is enough. It's not. They need to hear why everything will be alright. Remind them how brave, smart or strong they are. It helps when you use past experiences as an example."

Killua's insecurity faded. "That's… actually pretty good advice."

Gon smiled. "Right? It works everytime."

Killua smiled back. "Alright. Thanks, man." He glanced at the old building, where Kite was. "Ready?"

Gon took a deep breath and his mood completely changed. "Hnn. Let's go."

They followed the rest inside. The building was strangely well preserved for an abandoned place. Dust and spiderwebs were everywhere but the sturdy structure seemed strong.

In a basement like room downstairs, Shoot placed his small cage on the floor. The tiny prison was shaking subtly. Gon and Killua guessed Kite was inside, putting up a fight to be released.

"Hotel Rafflesia." Whispered Shoot. "Once I've dealt an enemy certain amount of damage, I'm able to trap an entire body or merely a single part inside."

Killua immediately understood his explanation. I see. That's how he got my eye. A very useful technique for an UMA Hunter.

A creaking sound caught their attention. Hotel Rafflesia was opening it's door.

A silhouette made his way out of the bird cage. It's movements were erratic and uncoordinated. It's body completely decorated with scars and horrible marks. The long, white hair covered its face but they all knew who it was.

Killua saw Gon's hands turn into fists and rage started boiling his blood. He was sure that if Gon was able to use Nen, his aura would be suffocating.

"If I release him from the cage, he'll return to his original size. Be careful, he can't use Nen but he is still strong." Explained Shoot. His expression impassive as always.

The pitiful prisoner started growing back as soon as he stepped out of Hotel Rafflesia. When he reached his normal height, Killua felt a heartache at the sight of his grotesque mutilated body that was stitched back together. But what happened next, just worsened his mood.

Gon approached Kite and let himself recieve a hell of a beating. No one dared to interrupt whatever Gon was doing or ask why he was doing it. They all understood Gon was grieving and the guilt inside him must be eating him alive. The kicks and punches the mindless Beast Hunter was throwing were automatic and could be easily dodged but Gon refused to back away. Instead, he closed the space between them and hugged Kite, activating the Nen controlling him and showing a creepy puppet master with strings.

Furious and hurt, Gon claimed the Chimera Ant responsable as his prey and left the room. Everyone let out the breath they didn't know they were holding. Killua thought about following him but decided against it. He needed some time to cool off and there was someone else that needed comfort. Some time had passed since Kaala disappeared and he was worried she might have gone back for good.

Killua shot a quick glare to Morel and left.

* * *

It took more time to find her than he thought it would take. Killua guessed Kaala didn't want to be followed by anyone so it was understandable she would use Zetsu. That fact made him feel relieved. If he couldn't pinpoint her presence easily, Chimera Ants won't either.

Kaala's legs were hanging in the air from the tall branch she chose as seat. Her sobs and tears had receded except for the occasional hiccup. The redness and puffiness were still fresh on her facial features, worsened by the constant rubbing fingers on her eyes and nose.

Killua landed on the other end of the huge branch.

"I want to be alone." She said sharply with a coarse voice.

"And I thought you already knew what a bad liar you are." He stayed where he was, giving her space. He didn't want her to feel pressured by him as well.

Kaala stared into nothing in particular.

When she didn't respond, he closed the distance a little. "May I sit?"

Kaala sighed. "Sure."

When he got as comfortable as he could get on the branch, the silence returned.

 _Should I speak first or let her do the talking? Do I start using Gon's advice now? Is it too soon to talk about it? Damn it! Why don't they teach this in assassin training?_

"I'm done, aren't I?"

Kaala answered the questions inside his head.

"I mean, if I choose to go, whether Morel tells Netero-jiisan or not, I can't get close to him. He will feel my aura and stay away from me. Forget about helping him with my Hatsu. If he finds out I'm there, he won't be able to fight properly. I lose my purpose and I instantaneously become more of a burden than a helping comrade and all of humanity might pay the price."

Kaala rubbed her left eye, itchy from the dry tears. "I'm sure you noticed this because you're more observant than I am. You know there is no way around it."

"...Hnn. I'm glad you realized that by yourself. I wasn't too fond of the idea of telling you and making you feel worse."

Kaala squeezed the bark with her fingers. "I guess... I'll be going home now. We'll be parting ways sooner than expected." She raised her hand to ask for a handshake. "It was really nice meeting you, Killua."

He stared at her hand and then at her. "That's it?"

Kaala blinked. "What do you mean 'that's it'? You want a hug?" She opened her arms.

Killua blushed and placed his hands in front of him. "Wha- No! That's not what I meant! What I want to know is if that's really it. Are you really giving up?"

Kaala lowered her arms and frowned in annoyance. "What else can I do? If I go to grandfather, it doesn't matter what I see with my eyes, I'll get in his way. It's not like I was going to be of much help anyway. I'm not strong. I'm not a fighter. I'm weak and useless and-"

Killua grabbed her head and pressed it against his shoulder. His grip was strong but caring. His arm was softly keeping her in place and his touch, as Gon had predicted, seemed to take her by surprise in a pleasant way.

"...and brave, and kind and smart and goofy and cute." He finished for her. "Maybe you're not a fighter but you're not useless. The world needs less fighters and more people like you. You developed your abilities because you wanted to protect people while I was raised to kill them. But I longer kill for a living. I chose to be something else and you can do the same."

Kaala relaxed. He took it as a good sign and kept on going.

"You're underestimating yourself right now. Remember when you fought Knuckle? You found a way to compensate for your weakness and defeat him. You're resourceful and you can see past the obvious. You can become stronger with training and patience. True, there's nothing you can do for the Chairman right now..." He felt her body flinch in hurt. "... but helping him or going home are not the only choices you have."

"They are not?" Her voice indicated she was about to cry or already crying again.

"You can stay and help us with whatever task we'll have to do. I'm guessing it'll be dealing with the Royal Guards or some Squadron Leaders. At the same time, you will gain experience, strength, knowledge in fighting techniques and you will learn how to depend less on foretelling."

"Oh… I never thought of that."

"I know it's not what you had in mind when you came here, but the Chairman needs to fight the King alone and he can only do that if we intercept the ants following him everywhere. You can help him, us and yourself. So… what do you say?"

Kaala chuckled.

"Sounds like a great idea. If I can ensure you and Gon will come back alive, I'm definitely in. But… how are we going to convince Morel to tell grandfather otherwise?"

Killua laughed. "You're way too honest. Who says we have to convince Morel? We just need him to believe you went home. Remember the Chairman will disconnect entirely after he receives the call. After Morel delivers the message, there's no way your grandfather will know you're actually staying."

"If you're expecting me to lie to Morel, you can forget about the plan."

"No need. I've got you covered."

Kaala raised an eyebrow. "You really thought this through before finding me, didn't you?"

"Yup. I knew you were going to accept. Besides…" Killua could feel his face getting warmer. "I didn't want you to leave, so I had a few arguments listed in my head in case you needed some convincing."

Kaala chuckled but her insecurity surfaced again. "Are you sure you want me there?"

"I'm sure. Gon wants you there too. The others will need some persuasion but at the end of the day, they'll come around."

Kaala nodded. "Thank you…. And don't tell me I don't need to say it."

Killua smiled even though she couldn't see his face. "I wasn't going to."

He was impressed. Gon's advice actually helped a lot. He was glad to have restored her confidence, at least a little. Making her feel better was much much nicer and cooler than making her cry.

Relief washed over him. She was staying. He could be around her for a little bit longer. He meant every word he said about her and he promised himself he would give his most sincere and genuine opinion of her. He usually lies and over exaggerates to get what he wants but when it comes to his friends, he is true and honest. Sometimes it's hard or embarrassing but they deserve the real Killua, especially the brutally honest brunette sitting right next to him. Resting her head on his shoulder. Her warmth passing through the fabric of his shirt to his skin. Her hair tickling his neck and face. The sudden realization of closeness raced his heart and reddened his face. His hand was still covering the side of her head, brushing Kaala's hair.

Instead of jumping away by instinct, he slowly removed his hand. Kaala took it as a sign to remove her head from his shoulder.

"We should go back." Killua spoke to distract himself. He was missing her touch already.

"Yeah, let's go." She stood up. Her face was still red and slightly swollen, but the traces of her crying spree were almost gone.

They jumped down and started walking back to town.

"So, how exactly do you have me covered? How are you tricking Morel without lying?"

Killua regained his composure at her question and hid his hands inside his pockets. "I never said there wasn't any lying involved."

Kaala arched an eyebrow. "Your silver tongue is so full of lies it's scary. So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Disappear for a several hours, use Zetsu at all times, stay where I tell you too and keep your phone charged and at hand." He pointed at himself. "Leave the rest to me."

Kaala nodded. "Alright. I trust you."

She walked a few paces ahead of him and he noticed her ponytail swinging slightly from side to side with every step she took. He remembered something he wanted to tell her.

"By the way…" She turned to look at him with a curious face. He scratched the back of his head and looked away to hide the pink color of his cheeks. "I do like girls with long hair."

Kaala blinked. Then clasped her hands behind her back and beamed. "Is that so? Good thing I have no plans of cutting my hair soon then."

Killua's eyes widened and his face turned as red as a tomato.

 _Am… am I misinterpreting this or did she just…?_

"C'mon, we have a long way to go and I'm hungry." She complained.

"I'm right behind you."

Whatever she meant with those words, it sent his heart racing even harder. He was going to suggest running back but he bit his tongue.

He just won more time with Kaala but there was no harm in stretching it a little bit more. Plus, he didn't quite understand her intentions and he was determined to find out.

* * *

Please review!


	9. Trick X and X Treat

**Chapter 7**

 **Trick X and X Treat**

* * *

Kaala sighed. Killua told her to wait for his call with more instructions but he still hadn't contacted her. She was getting impatient despite being in the airport, one of her favorite places to be. The sound of suitcases rolling, the blimps gaining height and landing before her eyes, people reuniting with relatives, people starting new adventures… What could she say? She loves traveling.

She looked at her tickets. One white piece of paper said she was supposed to be in a blimp an hour ago, going back home. Instead, she was going to ride another one. A local tour. The ticket was much more simple having a brownish color, low quality paper and cheap ink.

 _Half an hour to board. I should get in line, I guess._

Once seated inside the vessel, she frowned. The blimp wasn't as nice as the ones used in international flights.

 _Will this really work?_

The crew announced their departure and the blimp slowly gained altitude. Kaala smiled and eagerly watched through the window how everything became smaller and smaller. If she had wings, she would never touch the ground again.

When they reached their highest altitude, Kaala took her white ticket and her phone out. She ripped the part the guys at the airport tear from the paper and placing the ticket against the glass of her window, she took a picture of her "destination" and the blue sky. She did her best to make it look like she was much much higher than she actually was. The small blimp was made to appreciate the scenery, not to fly long distances above the clouds.

After several takes, she reviewed her work. _Hmm looks too staged. Oh, I know!_

A uniformed woman passed by her seat.

"Excuse me! Could I have a glass of water?"

When Kaala got her drink, the flight attendant arched an eyebrow when the young girl didn't actually drank it, but wet her fingers on it. Kaala let two or three droplets of water fall on the ticket and let them rolled down.

"Perfect!" The young girl exclaimed.

The tall woman shook her head and rolled her eyes before leaving.

Kaala took some more pictures, tightly holding the ticket with her hand instead of pushing it against the glass. The water made it look like she cried over it. The ink even blurred at the contact with her fake tears. The tight grip simulated her anger and frustration of leaving.

Proud, she sent them to Killua and waited for his response. The view outside the window was beautiful but she wasn't really appreciating it. She had doubts about this plan and her stomach was stirring in worry.

Her phone rang. It was Killua. Kaala answered and pressed her phone against her ear.

"Are the pictures ok?"

 _"_ _Yeah, they'll work. For someone who doesn't like lying, those fake tears were a nice touch."_

"Err, thanks I guess…"

"... _are you getting cold feet?"_

"...do we really have to do it this way? Maybe talking to Morel is a better idea. He is way softer than Knuckle. He might budge."

Kaala heard him sigh. _"Look, there are things that can only be done by deceiving."_

"And there are thing that can only be done by telling the truth. Besides, I don't think he'll buy this. Maybe we can just talk to him and see how it goes."

 _"_ _If you talk to him, it's over. If my plan does fail, then you can begged him all you want, but if you do it now, it's over."_

Kaala pouted.

"Fine."

" _Good. Do you remember the rest of the plan?"_

"Yes."

 _"_ _Be ready. I don't know when exactly I'll put it in motion. Remember: don't talk or chat with anyone. Not even Gon."_

 _"_ Aye aye, captain." She joked.

 _"_ _...sure."_

 _"_ Sorry. I'm nervous _."_

 _"_ _Relax, It'll work. Talk to you later. Bye."_

 _"_ Bye."

Kaala melted on her chair. _Man, Killua really turns cold when he takes something seriously._

She recalled a few days ago when he was stalking Gon and Palm. So determined and focused. It was hard to believe it was the same Killua that told her all those nice things yesterday.

Kaala slightly blushed and smiled.

Brave, kind, smart, goofy…

 _And cute._

Those were the words he used to describe her. She cupped her own face when she felt her cheeks go warmer.

They hadn't know each other for long, but their short time together felt meaningful.

Kaala looked through the window to find a beautiful morning and a colorful town below. Her nervousness dissipated momentarily as she gasped at the incredible view.

 _If I get to stay with them for a while longer, then maybe lying isn't so bad._

* * *

Killua hanged up and put his cellphone in his pocket. He sighed. Kaala really needed to get out more. She has lived surrounded by a bubble. She had only seen the nice side of the world, what everyone else sees. But Killua, he _lived_ in the dark side. He was part of it. A place where the weak die and the strong live. Where the naive were chewed and eaten alive and the most corrupt people thrived and swam in money and blood. A place where backstabbing your allies was common and killing innocents for whatever reason is justified. A place where the truth was so covered in lies that you can't trust anyone. So, you lie in order to protect yourself. It's the fastest and safest way to get what you want… or at least keep breathing. Anyone who dares to reveal their true self or true intentions is either crazy, stupid or has a deathwish. Kaala, unfortunately, would fit the 'stupid' category if she ever had to deal with people of the underworld.

Killua shook his head. That was a very unlikely and unpleasant idea.

Anyway, his conclusion was that since Kaala never lies to get away with anything, she doesn't know how powerful twisting reality can be.

Killua checked the alarm clock on his nightstand.

 _8:09 am_.

Gon had already left for the gym. After meeting Kite yesterday, he needed to clear his mind and reinforce his determination. He didn't speak much and wasn't eating as he usually does. Killua wanted to help him cope with the stress and frustration but first, he needed to solve Kaala's situation. They didn't have much time.

The plan was easy and it depended almost fully on his acting skills. At the same time, it was very simple and straightforward so his failing chances were high. He didn't know Morel personally so that decreased the probability of success despite having seen a scratch of his personality yesterday.

 _No point in overthinking this. I have to do what I can with what I have._

Killua left his room at the Three Circles Hotel. Fortunately, they were all staying in the same hotel so they might all be nearby.

Killua walked towards the restaurant and found Knuckle, Shoot, Knov and Morel discussing something.

 _Ok. The plan starts now._

He focused a great amount of killer intent and directed it towards Morel. No one in the place but the small group of Hunters felt it and turned to look at him. Faking to be furious, Killua stared at them for a few seconds and then sat on a nearby table to order breakfast.

He could hear them whispering, probably wondering what was the deal with him.

For the whole meal, he kept observing them, sending waves of killer intent and intentionally disturbing their discussion. Once he was done, he sent a final death glare and walked away. The bell on the door twinkled on his exit and a few steps away, he heard another twinkle behind him. He mentally smiled. They took the bait.

A hand fell on his shoulders and brusquely turned him. Knuckle's temple was twitching with all the veins that had popped in his anger.

"Care to explain what the hell was that!? HUH!? You wanna fight, punk!? Because I can punch you first and ask questions later!"

"Knuckle, calm down!"

"The hell I will, Shoot! This bastard thinks he can intimidate us just like that!"

"Volatile as always I see. I have a guess on what's the situation so please quiet down, Knuckle." Knov pushed his glasses up his nose with his finger.

Killua shook Knuckle's hand off.

"Let go of me!"

Another vein popped in his forehead. "You little bas-"

"She left, didn't she?"

Killua glared at Morel. "Well, you all wanted her out of the way? You got it." He spat the words with disgust.

Knuckle's eyes widened. "She… she went back home?"

"What did you expect!? You guys told her she would cause the human extinction!"

The Beast Hunter rubbed the back of his neck in shame.

"I'll admit that Morel's methods were rough but, considering the risk her very presence adds to the mission, it was necessary." Knov added in his usual cool way. "I thought you'd be the best to understand this from the three of you."

Morel twirled his pipe on his hand. "Rough or not, it is the truth. If she can't handle it, then it's even more clear she should not be on this mission. Now, I don't know how gullible you think I am but I'm not buying your story just like that."

Killua turned his back to him. "Pff! Like I care. The fact is she's _gone_. Whatever you tell the old man is not my business but if he dies, _you_ will be the one to tell Kaala. I hope you know how it feels to regret not doing something to save a person dear to you, because that's what she will feel if the Chairman dies."

Morel deeply frowned.

Killua peeked at them. "Whatever. I'm done talking about this. Mail me when and where we will meet next time." And with that, the four Pro Hunters were left behind and speechless.

The smoke manipulator took his phone out and walked away from the rest.

Knuckle raised an eyebrow. "Shisho, are you calling Chairman Netero?"

"Not yet. I want to confirm this first."

He dialed a number and brought his cellphone up to his ear.

* * *

Kaala actually enjoyed the tour. She managed to push Killua and her troubled thoughts aside and relax for a while. After she exited the blimp, a loud tune and a vibrating sensation in her pocket made her jump in surprise.

 _Could that be…!?_

She pulled the device from her pocket but in her rush and trembling hands, it slipped from her palms. She attempted to catch it but her awkward hand movement sent it flying instead and it crashed against the pavement.

"Agh!"

She threw herself to her phone on the floor which miraculously was still working after such a fall. The caller ID read Morel.

She immediately took it and hanged up.

Realizing she caught the attention of a few passersby, she stood up and walked away as if nothing happened.

 _I have to get some distance between me and the airport. Morel could easily come here to check on the flights or passenger seats._

Kaala then ran the opposite direction of The Circles Hotel. A few seconds later, her phone rang again.

 _It's Morel again._

She hanged up for the second time and opened her mail to start writing a message.

 _Ok. I can do this. Lying though mails is not that hard._

She stopped and hid herself between two buildings. Her fingers started typing.

 _What do you want?_

 _And...send._

Kaala inhaled deeply to stabilize her breathing.

 _If Morel contacted me, it means Killua already did his part._

* **Ding ding***

Kaala opened the new mail.

 _Where are you?_

 _-Morel_

Kaala looked for the picture she took earlier to send it.

 _I'm going home. Happy?_

She wrinkled her nose. Her answers didn't feel like her own.

 _If I was really going home, what would I say?_

She thought for a second and searched inside her how she would act if this the situation was real. She gulped. She wouldn't be confronting Morel like this, she would be worried sick and sad mostly. Once she found her true feelings, finding the words became easier.

 _Please take care of Netero-jiisan… and Gon, Killua and everyone else… and yourself of course… come back home safe and sound, ok?_

Kaala pressed send and released a breath she didn't know she was holding. With her phone pressed against her chest, she waited. When his reply didn't come as fast as the previous one, she growled.

 _I would use Announcement from God but I don't know if I will have to use that on my phone during the mission._

 ***Ding ding***

Kaala frantically opened the new mail and was shocked by what she found.

 _Ok._

 _-Morel_

Her blood began to boil.

"What kind of answer is that!? I'm was being sincere and concerned for his well being and he just says 'ok'!? ARGH! I'm NOT writing back!"

She stomped out of her hiding spot and proceeded to walk down the street to find the one thing that calms her down: food.

* * *

Killua remained hidden behind a structure as the isolated Morel tried to call Kaala. After the second attempt to contact her failed, his phone beeped, indicating he just got a message. He responded and a second and third beep followed. Morel's expression remained unchanged except for his eyebrows which he raised as he read the messages. After contemplating his phone for a few seconds, he finally replied and then dialed again.

 _Were Kaala's messages unconvincing? Did she followed through with the plan?_

"Hey. It's me."

Killua frowned. _That's not Kaala he's talking to. Did he call…?_

"Not much. We are discussing our strategies and sharing thoughts on how to handle the mission. How do things look on your side? Any change?"

"..."

"Well, we always knew the King would choose a new nest. Anyway, as we agreed, this will be last time we will speak until further notice. Any information or instructions you want to deliver?"

"..."

"Roger that."

"..."

"Yes. She made her choice."

Killua tensed. This was the moment where he would find out if their plan had worked.

Morel took a deep breath. "Kaala… went home. She is no longer in the Mitene Union."

Killua closed his hand into a fist in victory. It worked!

"..."

"Well, I… I had to be pretty blunt. I had to use an ugly argument and make her feel guilty. I'm sure you understand but either way, I wanted to apologize."

"..."

"Heh. Go tell her yourself when we kill some nasty Ants. Take care, old man. Until then."

Morel hanged up and put away his phone.

"Let's see…" He spoke to himself. He played with his giant pipe as he thought. After a few seconds he stopped.

"Killua."

The silver haired Hunter flinched.

 _He knew!?_

 _"_ Come here. Now."

Killua sighed but obeyed anyway. No use in stay hidden when his presence was already known.

"Tch! How did you know I was following you?"

Morel smiled. "Don't insult me kid. Now, call Kaala and tell her to stop hiding. We all need to gather and make a plan of action"

Killua tried to fake innocence but he was caught off guard and his surprise showed.

"That's right. I know she is still here. You really think I was going to tell the Chairman she would stay? Here or there, my call was always meant to inform him she is safe, despite what her real exposure to danger is."

Killua blinked. "You mean… we did all this for nothing?"

Morel arched an eyebrow. "By 'this' you mean your silly plan of trying to convince me with a dumb picture that actually ruined everything?"

"Wh-what? How did it…?"

Instead of finishing his question, Killua took out his own phone and looked at the picture she had taken. At first, it looked convincing but watching closely, you could see Kaala's reflection on the glass as she stuck her tongue out while taking the photo.

Killua facepalmed himself. How could he miss that!?

"It was hard to contain my laughter when I looked at it! Haha!... But then Kaala wrote a... touching message... and I realized it must have been hard for her to lie like that. So I decided to just end it."

Something still wasn't right for Killua. "If you were planning on telling the Chairman she was leaving regardless of her actions, why did you make her go through _all of that_?"

Morel could feel the young Hunter's resentment.

"You think the Chairman is the only who wants her safe? Many do and that includes me and you, doesn't it?"

Killua opened his mouth to speak but closed it back.

Morel chuckled. "I care for her as much as you ... but in a different way. I can tell."

Killua blushed and looked away.

"I want her out of danger but I chose to let her pick her path. To respect her choice. So, I did my best to change her mind instead, even if I had to hurt her. But it seems it wasn't enough. For Kaala to lie is really something. She must really want to stay. I wonder why?"

He wiggled his eyebrows and eyed Killua with a quirky smile which caused him to blush even more.

"S-stop that! I was just starting to like you!"

Morel laughed and turned his back to him. "Just call Kaala and tell her the good news. We'll talk later."

As Morel walked away, Killua took his phone out and dialed Kaala's number.

* * *

Gon was lifting weights in their usual spot. His eyes distant, his mind anywhere but there. Ever since he lost to Knuckle and his Nen, he had to reduce the weights and decrease the level of intensity of his training. It must be a hard blow for someone who likes to push himself to the limit. On top of it, Kite looked horrible and was being controlled by the enemy. It was like kicking someone who was already down. What Killua found odd, was that the bar Gon was using had a few weights less than usual and there were plenty of them free to use.

Killua approached his friend. He didn't say anything, he just walked to his side and started doing his own training, minding his own business. Gon paused a few seconds when he realized Killua was preparing his equipment. When Killua met Gon's eyes, he could see he dumbfounded so Killua flicked him in the forehead.

"Those won't lift themselves, you know?" Killua pointed at Gon's equipment. "Weren't you going to train hard and show Kite the results?"

Killua saw how Gon's eyes were slowly recovering their spark. When they were full of life and determination, Gon smiled from ear to ear.

"Hnn!" He answered enthusiastically. He immediately lowered his bar and started adding more weight to it.

Killua laughed inwardly. _If only girls were as easy to cheer up._

They spent all afternoon training, laughing and joking around. They called it a day when the sun was almost gone.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Killua and Gon entered the living room covered in sweat and emanating a salty smell. Kaala wrinkled her nose in disgust but refrained from doing any comments.

When Gon saw Kaala, he beamed. "Killua told me everything on the way here! I can't believe you're staying, Kaala!"

Kaala raised her arms in joy. "I know! I can't believe it either!

Killua scoffed. "Yeah. I can't believe it either. Especially since you messed up _your_ part."

Kaala sweatdropped in embarrassment.

"Mou, Killua. Don't bully her right now. It's a happy moment!"

Killua smiled. "Ok. I'll let this one go. Just for now. Apparently we're staying here for the next couple of weeks and then we will head to the Republic of East Gorteau. _That_ means we have almost a month to prepare ourselves and _that_ means we will train really hard. Especially you, Kaala."

Kaala made a sour face and a whining sound.

Gon frowned. "Mou! What did I just tell you, Killua!"

The brunette suddenly brightened. "Well, that also means we have almost a full month to have fun and do stuff together!"

"Oi! Don't forget why we're here, baka! It's not time to mess around!" Killua scolded as he took a step forward.

"Oh, c'mon! All you think about is training! We can spare some time to do other things." Kaala argued as she too took a step forward.

"We _don't_ have spare time! A month is not enough time to to make you stronger. Every minute counts and we will not waste them."

Step.

"We can't train 24/7."

Step.

"Yes, you can. I've done it."

Step.

"The Zoldycks don't count as normal humans. You are more like super humans." Kaala sighed. "Look, how about we just balance training and fun?"

Killua took a final step forward to stand right in front of her.

"No." He answered firmly.

Killua was prepared to counter whatever argument she could throw at him but he wasn't prepared for what happened next. Kaala closed the space between them and graze her lips against his cheek. He thought he imagined it but when his skin started tickling right where she touched him, he realized it really did happen. Kaala returned to where she was and beamed, her own face slightly flushed.

"Please?"

He felt his face get incredibly hot, his throat tight, his mind go blank, his lungs refusing to work and his heart pumping blood like crazy.

Unable to form coherent sentences to refuse, he looked away, nodded and said "Fine."

Kaala smiled smugly. "Thank you!"

Gon remained silent, enjoying their interesting interaction. The argument was pretty standard, a usual conversation between them, but he didn't see the kiss coming. He gaped in awe at the pleasant surprise.

"When did you guys become so close!?"

Killua looked at Gon in horror. He forgot his friend was there and he just witnessed the whole thing!

Kaala brought her finger up to her chin as she thought. "Maybe yesterday, when he called me cu-"

"I'm taking the shower first, Gon!" Killua interrupted her mid sentence and ran to the bathroom. He couldn't handle any more 'doki doki' or his heart could explode.

The last thing he heard were their giggles as he closed the door.

* * *

Please review! I love reading your comments!

Thank you **havanatitiana** for your support! A heartwarming comment every chapter. You're the best! I'm sure you'll enjoy the next chapter too.

See ya!


	10. Tales X of a X Random City

**Tales of a Random City in Metene Union**

* * *

 **Sore Losers X and X Gloating Winners**

Kaala kicked a stone she found on her path as if she was trying to kick away her boredom. "There's nothing to do in this village besides training." She whined. Five days since Morel called Chairman Netero and all they did was train, eat and sleep. An occasionally meeting here and there but besides that, they could only chat or walk around to do something different.

Gon tilted his head in curiosity. "Don't you have fun when you train, Kaala?"

"Not particularly. Why? Do you and this masochist have fun while sweating like pigs and aching like you just got hit by a car?" She pointed at Killua with her thumb.

Killua arched an eyebrow. "Who are you calling masochist?"

"You, of course. Who else?" She stuck out her tongue at him.

Gon smiled and answered her question before Killua would reply. "Yeah, we do. It's fun to train together. Even when everything hurts or you're fainting from exhaustion."

Kaala's face retorted. "...Gon, I worry about you sometimes."

Gon laughed it off as he scratched the back of his head. Suddenly, something caught his attention.

"Hey, look! Boardgames!" Gon pointed at a store and ran to it.

 _Boardgames!_ Kalla followed Gon and plastered her face against the glass to look at all the boardgames in display.

"They have so many! Chess, Checkers, _Chinese_ Checkers, Scrabble, Monopoly, Backgammon, Go, Shogi… Gungi?" Kaala recited in excitement. "Oh, I love boardgames! Let's buy one of each! They have card decks too! We could play all month!"

"We could play with everyone else too!" Gon added. "That would be so much fun! C'mon, Kaala!"

Both Hunters entered through the door so fast the owner jumped in surprise but soon was happy to have such enthusiastic kids buying games like crazy and spending money like it was nothing.

20 minutes later, Gon and Killua were carrying several bags back to the hotel. Kaala, for the first time ever, was eager to run the whole way just for the sake of playing any game they just bought as soon as possible.

Once in the Three Circles Hotel, they decided to play chess. The problem was, they didn't take something into account.

"Hmm… maybe we can take turns? The loser trades places with whoever didn't get to play that turn." Kaala suggested.

"But what if the same person keeps winning? Maybe we should simply rotate despite who the winner is."

"That'll work. I wouldn't want to be the only one playing each turn." Killua flashed a smug smile.

Kaala crossed her arms. "Oh sure. Like you could beat me in chess. Gon, is it ok if Killua and I play first?"

"No problem. Besides, I don't how to play."

Kaala beamed and sat on the floor next the board. "It's ok. Let me teach you the basics and you can learn strategy by watching us." Kaala placed the pieces in their respective places and explained how each one moved. She didn't notice but Killua could clearly see Gon's brain about to overheat.

"I should warn you, Killua. Grandfather and I have played chess at least once a week ever since I was 8. He's a tough opponent so my many victories against him are no small feat."

"Pff! I've played chess since I was 5 and I mastered the most complex strategies by the age of 10. Besides, he probably let you win. You don't scare me, Kaala." He poked her puffed cheek and she slapped his finger away. They sent death glares at each other for a few seconds until Gon broke the tension.

"Hey hey, remember we're doing this for fun. FUN." He pointed at his own exaggerated smile with his two index fingers as if they didn't know the meaning of the word.

Killua returned the smile. "Of course I remember, Gon. It will fun... to destroy her."

Kaala's eye twitched. She took the board and moved a white pawn forward violently. "Stop talking and play."

Killua popped his knuckles and fingers. "Let's do this."

* * *

When Knuckle and Morel opened the door, they were amused by the curious sight before them. Gon had his face against the carpet, smoke coming out of his ears. Kaala's hair was a mess and her frustrated posture and expression suggested that she was losing. Killua was laying down and relaxing, almost sleeping as he waited for her turn to be over.

"Move already."

"Sh-shut up. I'm still thinking." Kaala moved her knight with extreme care and reluctantly removed her touch from one of her few remaining pieces, officially finalizing her turn.

"Thank god." Killua peeked at the board and moved his tower without even bothering to look at it. "Checkmate."

"Wh-what!?" She examined the board hysterically, moving around to have different perspectives and angles. He was right. There was no way to save her king. She knocked it down and sighed heavily.

Killua sat upright. "Now, say it." He commanded.

Kaala grunted loudly.

"Say it."

She sighed again but gave in. "You destroyed me."

"That's right. See Gon? _That_ was fun."

Gon's monosyllable answer was muffled by the carpet. His mind was still recovering from the overwork.

Killua finally acknowledged the Sea Hunter and the Beast Hunter. "Any of you up for a game?"

Knuckle looked around the room. His eyes stopped on the corner, raised his hand and closed it in a tight fist. "I'm in for a Monopoly game!"

At the sound of that, Kaala suddenly revived. "Yes! I'm in too!"

Smoke stopped coming out of Gon's head and he jumped to his feet. "Me too!"

Even Killua got excited. "Sure thing!"

Morel turned and headed for his room. "I'll pass".

"Aww! C'mon, Morel-san!"

"Please, Morel!"

"C'mon old man!"

"Give it a try, shisho. Or… are you scared?" Knuckle showed all his teeth in a mocking smile.

At that last comment, Morel stopped on his tracks and rested his pipe against a piece of furniture. "Scared? You think I'm scared of a board game? I should remind you that I introduced you to Monopoly and it became the inspiration to your _Chapter 7: Bankruptcy_ ability."

Knuckle panicked. "Sh-shisho! You promised not to tell!"

The three young Hunters exploded in laughter.

"Shut up! That's not true! I didn't… it wasn't… if you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" Knuckle took his cell phone out and dialed.

Killua managed to catch his breath. "Who are you calling?"

"Knov and Shoot and maybe Palm."

"Why? Need some help to win?"

"No." His lips formed sinister and creepy smile. "I need a handicap to make the game slightly more fair for you and make you suffer for as long as possible."

They shivered.

"Bring it on." Challenged Killua.

* * *

The room was filled with tension. Not a sound was heard, not even a single breath of one of the 8 Hunters in the room. Until a criminal looking man smashed his hand against the floor.

"That's bullshit! You think I'm an idiot, you brat!? I'm not selling Yorknew City, the most expensive property in the game, just for $400!"

"C'mon dude! I'm out of money! I need to start placing houses and hotels or I'm done for! I thought we had united against Palm."

"Give me a few properties and your money and I might change my mind. Besides, you have Gon and Kaala on your side too so don't complain."

"Kaala bought freaking Meteor City! She's about to go broke!"

"Hey! Everyone falls on Meteor City!" Whined Kaala.

"But it's worth nothing! Your rent is pathetic even with a hotel! At least Gon has the Mitene Union that makes some decent income."

"Hahahaha!" Morel, who wasn't interested in playing at first, was now highly enjoying the game. "That won't be enough to beat us! You might have the whole Yorbian continent but Palm controls the Azian continent and Knov, Shoot and I have the rest of the eastern world. You might as well give up."

"Never!" Yelled Gon, Killua, Kaala and Knuckle.

"Seriously, your stubbornness is impressive. The game's development was decided hours ago when Killua went to jail and Gon forgot to claim his 'Go' money." Knov removed his glasses to clean them.

Shoot raised his hand. "I propose a draw. We've been playing for many hours and the closure of this game is still very unclear. Not to mention that no one has gone bankrupt yet and by the number of players and pace of the game, it could take even more time to properly declare a winner."

Everyone remained silent as they consider his suggestion.

Knuckle stared very seriously at Shoot. "Shoot… I know we've never been particularly close but… I wanted you to know that I've always admired you and I think we make a pretty good te-"

"I won't give you my money and properties, Knuckle." The eyebrowless Hunter interrupted.

"Don't screw with me! If you're forfeiting, give all you got to your best pal!"

"The rules are very clear, Knuckle. If Shoot leaves the game, we'll have to buy his properties all over again and the money will go to the bank." Morel pointed at the pile of colorful bills next to Knuckle. "Don't try to sabotage us just because you are losing."

"Anoo... " Palm quietly interjected with usual heavy voice. "Shoot, I would like to buy all your properties before you leave."

"What!?"

"Seriously?"

"She does have enough money…"

"Wow, Palm! You're going to win!"

"I'm done for…"

"Nice move, Palm! That way, we will still have control of all the eastern side." Knov proudly patted her back.

Palm blushed furiously and frantically took her money and presented it to Shoot.

"Is… is this enough?"

Shoot took the money, counted the bills and finally nodded in approval. "Unless someone offers more…"

The other Hunters remained silent. No one had that kind of money. Only Palm.

Knuckle couldn't believe it. It was madness! Palm winning? No. It can't be! Monopoly was _his_ game! He was the best player ever! How can a noob be beating him!?

He slammed his hand against the floor.

"I DEMAND A REMATCH!"

"EHHH!?" All complained.

"Knuckle, we can't start all over again. It would take all night to finish." Gon tried to convince him. Their current game started around 2pm and it was now 9pm.

"SHUT UP! WE'RE STARTING OVER!"

Pieces of the game, bills and cards went flying when Knuckle suddenly took the board and flipped it with all his might.

"What the hell, man!?"

"What are you doing!?"

"Knuckle!"

"Waaa! Don't lose anything!"

"My money!"

* * *

The ruckus generated complaints from others guests in the Hotel and they decided to call it a night.

After that, everyone agreed that no more Monopoly games would take place. Palm was declared the winner even though the game never officially finished. Everyone went to bed except for the trio who stayed to pick up the mess Knuckle did.

"I swear, if this game ends up missing something, I'll kill Knuckle." The Hunter License player token was finally found by Kaala under the couch after half an hour looking for it.

"Everything was going well until Knuckle exploded." Gon lamented.

"Pff! Well? We were getting our asses kicked." Scoffed Killua.

"Maybe, but I was having a blast." Kaala put all the bills she had collected inside the box. "Too bad we can't play again."

Finally, with everything found, they were ready for a good night's sleep.

Gon stretched his arms and yawned. "Killua, is it ok if I take the shower first?"

"Go ahead."

With Gon gone, Kaala walked to Killua with a challenging face. She quickly moved her arm and Killua thought for a moment Kaala was about to punch him but she wasn't in range to land a hit. Instead, her fist remained close to his face and she lifted her index finger.

"One more."

Killua was confused. "Huh?"

"One more chess match."

The male Hunter found her determination kind of amusing. _Heh. Who knew she was a competitive one._

"Sure. If you like losing so much, you should've said so. I won't let you win, though."

"Shut up. I don't need your pity. I'll win this time, fair and square."

She didn't.

"Grrr! How do you do it!?"

Killua shrugged. He really didn't know. It was natural for him. That question was as if asking someone to describe how to walk.

Kaala analyzed the remaining pieces. "Everything went downhill after I moved my knight here. What changed?"

"Actually, it was even before that." Killua recreated the moment he discovered her strategy. Kaala was impressed at his photographic memory but focused on his explanation.

Once he pointed her mistakes, Kaala started setting her pieces again and lifted a finger in front of him like she did earlier.

"One more."

Killua chuckled. "Sure. All the matches you want." He took the black pieces and helped set up the board.

Kaala stopped mid movement and smiled, her cheeks getting slightly pink.

"Then we might be here until dawn."

Killua looked at her, genuine happiness showing. "So be it."

She lost all the matches that night.

* * *

 **Accidentally X On X Purpose**

The blazing sun above their heads was simply too much. Their skin was burning hot and covered in sweat thanks to the high temperatures. The three young Hunters refused to train under such conditions and instead, decided simply to let their bodies melt in peace. The wind provided little comfort since there was barely to none. Desperate for a way to cool themselves, they ordered some fruit smoothies from a place Kaala had found and took a small table outside the stand.

"This. Tastes. Delicious!" Kaala moaned in delight when the icy drink touched her tongue.

"Mine too. It's soooo refreshing." Gon slurped half his drink in one gulp.

"I think I'll order another one after I'm done." Killua spread his body over the chair as wide as possible.

The stand surely made some good profit that day. The heat was so strong that many customers appeared to try their blended and fruity drinks. The outside was slightly loud and crowded with people holding clear plastic cups filled with a colorful frappe liquid. Kids running around while parents enjoyed the shade of the umbrella, couples romantically sharing their drink, friends laughing around and making lots of noise. Killua found the the place too lively for his taste but he was too hot to mind it.

Then he caught Kaala staring at his cup. His strawberry-watermelon combination gave the drink a strong red color. Curiosity got the best of her and she wondered how good it was.

"Killua, can I try yours?"

Killua blinked. "Uh sure…" He was about to remove the lid for her to take a sip, but Kaala was faster than him and used the straw.

"Mmm! It's really good. Next time I'll order one just like yours." She sat back and resumed drinking her own.

Killua stared at the smoothie in his hands and then at the couple's right next to them, using the same straw. He had shared food before with his brothers and with Gon but never shared the _same straw._

 _Maybe I'm exaggerating. Surely she didn't mean anything by it._

He looked at her for any hint and was surprised to find Kaala's eyes on him, a spark of amusement in them and a mischievous smile on her lips. Suddenly, his face started feeling really hot, and it wasn't because of the weather.

"Wow Killua! Your face is really red. Maybe we should go somewhere less crowded. Find some good shade and some breeze." Gon suggested, worried about his friend's pale skin.

"Su-sure. Let's go." Killua managed to articulate.

Kaala refrained from making any comments.

Killua finally gathered the courage to keep drinking from his own cup. From the same straw Kaala had used.

He slowly sipped his smoothie, making it last as long as possible.

* * *

 **Knowledge X and X Wisdom**

Kaala is physically weak. That is a known fact. From the moment they knew they had to stay in that town for a month, they agreed that Kaala needed some physical training. So everyday they ran, did squats, lifted weights, sparred and sharpened their reflexes. Kaala had never pushed herself so hard and she complained every morning when she had to get out of bed before the sun was up. When she realized complaining only made it worse, she stopped and started grunting instead. The first time she opened her eyes before the alarm, she stopped showing any sign of unconformity. Gon and Killua were betting she was getting used to it _and_ secretly enjoying it. Besides, her stamina and resistance were considerably improving every day. She was running faster and for longer distances now. Her weights were getting heavier because she could lift them repeatedly with ease now. She did more squats, reacted faster to unpredictable stimulus and actually made Killua and Gon sweat during spars.

A month was a very short time to bring Kaala to her full potential but the rigorous training was making wonders on her. Not just on her body but on her mind too. She looked more confident, more optimistic and she did her routine with a little more enthusiasm than the day before.

One morning, Killua and Gon got ready as any other morning. They left their room and knocked on Kaala's door.

"Kaala, you ready?" Called Killua.

No answer.

He knocked again. "Ooiii. Kaala?"

No answer.

Killua and Gon exchanged confused glances.

"Hey, is it safe to come in?"

Silence.

Worried, Gon turned the knob and opened the door slowly.

"Kaala? Sorry for intruding." He announced himself.

Once they had a complete view of the room, both Hunters were surprised to find their friend curled up under the covers. She was completely hidden in the messy ball of fabric, from head to toe.

Killua crossed his arms. He couldn't believe that after all her progress, she went back to this. "Kaala, wake up. You're late."

Kaala grunted softly in response.

"Back to grunting huh? If you don't get up now, I'll make you run more laps."

Another grunt was her response.

"Killua, I don't think she feels well." Gon frowned in worry.

"Sore muscles are not a valid excuse to stay in bed."

Suddenly, something a little different than a grunt came from the mass on the bed.

"Er...What did you say?" Gon asked.

Kaala uncovered her face. She looked pale and had bags under her eyes. "Cramps."

Killua blinked. _Cramps? What is she talking about?_

To his surprise, Gon did know what she was talking about. "Oh, are you having cramps? Is it that time of the month?" He asked so casually Killua almost jumped in surprise.

 _'_ _Taht time of the month'? Wait! Is she on her…?_

Kaala nodded affirmatively to Gon's question.

"Oh, I see. I can go to the pharmacy and get you some medicine if you want."

Killua was in shock and impressed.

"Wait. Hold on, Gon. How the heck do you know this?" Killua always thought he was naive and too mentally immature to know these things.

"Mito-san has them every month as well. I take care of her and bring her what she needs when it's too painful for her."

"Oh."

 _Well, that explains it._

Killua now saw Gon in a whole new light. He didn't expect Gon to know such… feminine issues. Maybe Gon wasn't as childish as he thought.

"But Kaala, why are you having cramps?"

Killua arched an eyebrow. His question was odd.

Kaala uncovered her face again to show her frown. "What do you mean 'why'? I'm a girl. We all get cramps at some point in our lives."

Gon blinked twice. "Really? I thought that was just Mito-san. Does it affect every girl or just some?"

It was Killua's and Kaala's turn to blink in confusion and exchange glances.

Killua cleared his throat. "Gon, what exactly did Mito-san tell you about this?"

Gon brought his finger to his lips as he remembered her words. "That it happens once a month and it's very painful and can last a few days. She also taught me name of the medicine she needs and how to help her soothe the pain in her lower stomach. Oh and that she needs some 'pads' or some small tube like thingys I buy at the pharmacy as well."

Silence followed. "That's it? That's all you know? You don't know _why_ she gets the cramps?

"No. She never said anything about that."

Killua stared at Gon in disbelief.

 _Oh shit… you coward Mito-san._

Kaala started giggling inside her fort made out of sheets, at least until she suddenly twitched and her laugh became a grunt of pain.

Killua sighed. _How is it that I know what a menstrual cycle is but I don't know how to help Kaala and is Gon is the exact opposite?_

"Why do girls have cramps? Can boys have them too?" Now that Gon knew there was more to the subject, he was curious of course.

Before he could say anything, Kaala intervened. "Gon, Killua will explain everything from why the cramps happen to where babies come from but right now, I would _love_ to stop the - ouch!" She twitched again. "...pain."

Gon nodded. "Wakatta. Killua, get a small towel and tightly wrap some rice with it with a rubber band. Heat it in the microwave to be warm but not too hot to burn your skin." He turned to Kaala. "I'll be right back." And then ran out of the room.

Killua did as Gon instructed and gave Kaala the warm bag of rice. The color on her cheeks was slowly returning as the warmth spread. Unfortunately, she still suffered from occasional stabs of pain. Unable to provide any more comfort, Killua just patted her head or rubbed her back softly until Gon returned.

She swallowed two pills that soon got brought her back to normal.

"I can't thank you enough, guys. I thought I was gonna die." Kaala placed the rest of the pills in her night stand just case she needed them for later and put away the pads Gon bought her.

"Now Killua can explain Gon what periods are all about and where babies come from." She said as she contained her laughter but was followed by a yawn.

Gon puffed his cheeks. "I know where babies come from. I've assisted in the birth of cows and other animals back in Whale Island. They come out of their mom's bellies."

"Oh but do you know how they get there?" Kaala wiggled her eyebrows up and down. She yawned again and rubbed her eye.

Gon opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again when he realized he didn't know the answer. He looked at Killua and he sent a death glare to Kaala but she didn't noticed. She was barely keeping her eyes open.

"What did you give her, Gon?" Killua took the box from Kaala's nightstand.

"The same medicine I buy for Mito-san. Why?"

Killua read the label and facepalmed. "You bought the nighttime pain relievers. She'll sleep all day now."

Gon sweatdropped and laughed nervously. "So-sorry. I was in such a hurry I didn't check, hehe. But at least she's no longer in pain, right Kaala?"

Kaala yawned and collapsed on her bed.

"I guess that means 'yes'." Gon shrugged.

It was the second time Killua watched her sleep. Despite the lack of elegance, she looked cute with her messy hair and face squished against the wet, drooled pillow.

"Let's leave her to rest for today, ne?" Gon covered Kaala all the way to her neck with the sheets.

"Hnn." Killua took a long look at her before leaving. _She looks so fragile and small. Even more so than when she is fooling around awake. She looks so-_

"Killua, what's the _period_ she was talking about? What does it have to do with babies?" asked Gon.

His eye twitched.

 _So dead! I'm going to kill her when she wakes up!_

As if mocking him, Kaala snored loudly right after his thought.

* * *

 **When X Jealousy X Rings**

"No." Kaala firmly protested.

"Yes. You have to." Insisted Killua.

"No! Gon, please back me up on this."

Gon gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Kaala but I agree with Killua. You should consider it."

"I already considered it. I don't want to change my phone!" She pressed her light pink cellphone against her chest.

"That phone will be useless in East Gorteau. You will have no signal, no accurate GPS and you will ran out of battery. You _have_ to get a Beetle." Killua got his phone out. "With this, you'll have none of those issues."

Kaala didn't hold back to show her distaste. "It's the _ugliest_ phone I've ever seen! I don't care if that thing can call God himself, I don't want it!"

Killia groaned. Reasoning with her could be hard sometimes. Refusing to change her ordinary phone for a very useful one just for it's appearance was ridiculous.

Gon intervened before another argument ensued. "You don't have to throw it away. The Beetle will only be temporary, just for the mission. Then you can change back to old phone and sell or trade your Beetle 07."

Her grip on the pink device softened a bit as she considered his point. "Well… if that's the case, I guess I can buy it."

Killua silently thanked his friend. "Good. Let's go look for a store and get this over with."

Fortunately, a store was selling it at a fair price considering that imported goods were more expensive. The display showed a variety of phones way better looking than the horrible Beetle 07 but in terms of functionality, it was still 'unbeetleable'.

The tinkle of the bell announced their arrival and the owner appeared behind a door at the far end of the room. A young man, no older than 15, with brown short hair, green eyes and slightly tanned skin greeted them. Killua noticed his eyes lingered a little on Kaala and he felt a strange feeling blooming inside him.

"Welcome, welcome. My name is Luma. How can I help you?" His white perfect teeth showing with his wide smile.

Kaala approached the counter that separated the store from the storage. "Hello, I was interested in buying the Beetle 07 that you had on display."

"Of course. You got a good eye. It's one of the best, if not the very best phone in the market right now." He took a new Beetle 07 from one of the drawers of the counter. "I can explain all the features it has if you want but I'm… why would a girl so pretty as yourself want such a weird looking and expensive phone?"

Killia's eye twitched and he sent a warning glare to the 'store owner'.

Before Kaala could answer, Killua voiced his concern first. "You seem too young to own a store." He crossed his arms defensively.

"Oh, actually my dad is the owner but he just went out to run some errands. I'm always here in case customers show up, like you guys." When Killua offered no comment on that, he changed back to Kaala. "If you want to see other phones, it'll be my pleasure to show them to you."

Kaala shook her head. "Oh it's fine. This one is the one I need. Is there a way to get any discounts?"

The green eye boy thought for a moment. "I think I can give you a discount. Only if you promise to not tell my dad." He brought his index finger to his lips as a gesture of silence. Kaala chuckled. "I promise."

"Great! Then I can give you a 30% discount. How's that sound?" He winked at Kaala.

Gon brightened. "Whoa! That's an even better deal than the one Leorio got for us, Killua!"

She beamed at that. "Really? Then it sounds great! Thanks, Luma!"

Killua was now feeling an alien sensation he had never felt before. His chest was constricting, his stomach was churning and he was really annoyed by his guy's attitude. Killua blinked. Was this how jealousy felt? Was he being possessive towards Kaala?

A poke on his shoulder caught his attention. Gon closed in to whisper into his ear.

"Killua, you're oozing killer intent."

"Hmph…" He sent one last death glare the oblivious, insufferable guy and breathed out through his nose.

"My pleasure. But!" Luma raised a finger. "If you want the discount, you have to give me your phone number."

Killua's eyes widened. _What the hell!? This guy must be kidding! There's no way he is getting her number!_

Killua turned to Kaala to suggest finding another store but stopped when her face turned from surprise to an honest smile.

"I see…" she said.

 _She...she can't be serious. Is she… happy? Does she really like this guy? But I thought…_

He could feel his heart ache. Hope he didn't know he was holding to shattered into tiny pieces. Time seemed to stop until her voice brought him back to the present.

"Then please forget about the discount. The normal price is fine."

That took Luma by surprise. "Oh.. Um… well.. then, can we have lunch together then?"

Kaala shrugged. Her smile slightly faded in pity. "Sorry. No can do."

Luma wasn't giving up. "Dinner?"

Her mouth was slowly curving down, her patience growing thin but she was still trying to be nice. "Nope."

"Then… breakfast?"

"Sorry. That's a no."

Luma stared at her for a couple of seconds. She placed her hands on her hip.

"Coffee?"

"Nope."

"Smoothie?"

"No."

"Glass of water?"

Kaala grunted in frustration. "Look, I'm flattered but I came here for a _phone,_ not a boyfriend."

"You could get both for a pretty good deal." He smiled from ear to ear.

Killua wanted to vomit just by looking at his idiotic face. He must be _so_ used to girls falling for his smile and green eyes. He was really pissed at him but at the same time he was so relieved Kaala was handling him that well. He'll have to apologize later for thinking she would fall for Luma's cheap and corny attempts at flirting.

Kaala took her wallet out and slammed her money on the counter. "Not. Interested. Now, please give me the phone."

Luma's smiled was replaced by bored expression. He sighed in defeat as he placed the boxed device on her hand. "Here."

Kaala took the phone and turned around to leave with Gon and Killua following behind. Right before they were gone, Luma added one last thing. "I won't give you another opportunity like this."

Kaala laughed sarcastically. "I'll take my chances."

The bell tinkled on their way out.

"Ugh. All that just to get this ugly phone." Fumed Kaala. "The nerve of that guy. So pushy."

Kaala ate a blueberry from the bag she bought on a stand on the street. With the sun starting to set, the three young Hunters walked aimlessly around town.

"At least you got the phone. You should open it and insert the chip!" Suggested Gon.

Kaala looked at him horrified. "What? No! I'm keeping my own cellphone until we're in East Gorteau."

Gon whined. "Aww but I want you to see how cool it is! It might change your mind about it."

She shook her head. "Nothing will convince me that this… _"phone"_ is better than mine. I'll use this one exclusively for the mission. Then Im getting rid of it."

"Once you try it, you'll want to keep it. I guarantee it!"

Killua remained quiet and out of the conversation. The street was a poor distraction from what happened barely a 10 minutes ago in the store but he tried anyway.

"I thought you were going to kill Luma back there." Kaala said.

Killua realized she was talking to him. He feign innocence. "What are you talking about? It would be a waste of breathe and an insult to my capabilities to kill someone so defenseless."

Kaala nudged him with her shoulder. "Don't play dumb. That killer intent was intense. Was Luma that annoying to you?"

Killua shrugged. "A-a little."

"I mean, he got on my nerves but not to that point. And _I_ was the one who got hit on."

He averted his eyes from Kaala in the most natural way he could but didn't go unnoticed by Gon. He raised his eyebrows as something occurred to him.

"Could it be that you were angry because he was being _too_ _nice_?" He smiled as he teased his friend.

Killua sent a threatening glare, warning Gon to shut up as he inevitably started blushing. He couldn't believe his best friend was betraying him!

Gon's smile got wider. Killua's reaction indicated he got it right.

"Or should I say _too_ _friendly_?"

Killua got even redder. "U-urusai!"

Kaala placed her hands on her hip and arched an eyebrow. "Too friendly?" She blinked twice as she tried to understand. Something clicked on her mind and she smiled in amusement. "Killua Zoldyck. Don't tell me you were jealous?"

"Th-that's not it! I just… that guy… the phone…" As he lost his ability to formulate a coherent excuse, he chose to get revenge on his former friend. He threw a punch at Gon which he dodged with ease by squatting. His Nen was blocked but his instincts were still sharp as ever. "Ahhhh that's dangerous, Killua!" Gon cried as he jumped away.

Killua lifted his hand and revealed his deadly and pointy nails.

"Waa! Wait, Killua!" Gon started fleeing away from his silver haired friend.

"Come here! Don't you dare run away from me!" Killua went after his friend, maneuvering people on his way.

As both her friends disappeared from her sight, Kaala laughed in delight. Her friends were indeed amusing and interesting. Teasing Killua was getting even more fun with each passing day too. She wished the mission was already over… that way she could stop messing with him and get serious.

 _Good things come to those who wait..._

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please review!

I had so much fun writting this chapter. For some reason is way easier for me to write one-shots or short stories than a long run story like this one. If you like Moana or Youjo Senki (I know, opposite genres. What a weird author.) check out my other stories and you'll notice they writting is way more smooth.

As always, thank you **havanatitiana.** Everytime I get stuck or I doubt myself I remember you and my promise to keep you interested in _Unpredictable._

 **Masoliki1:** Kaala will definitely participate in the mission but her role isn't 100% defined. Since the climax is so complex and there are tons of characters in it, I'm still figuring out what she will do.

 **Caliope07** : Thank you for reading! I'm glad you like it and I really hope it remains interesting for you.

As a little fun fact, the title is inspired in the 15th episode of _Book Two: Earth_ of _Avatar: The Last Airbender:_ The Tales of Ba Sing Se. The show is amazing, Iroh is amazing and everything is amazing.

Until next time!


	11. Announcement

Hi everyone! I hope my small group of readers is doing great! I have some good and bad news. Let's start with the bad news, shall we?

Reading the plot outline I prepared months ago I realized I didn't like it that much. Also, it had **major plot holes** I hadn't realize! It is pretty clear the past me was lazy and did a poor job on developing a worthwhile story. Reading about a bunch of incredible characters working with a girl who can see the future to save the human race _should_ be more interesting than what I prepared.

So, that brings us to the good news. I decided to rearrange the story completely. That's right. I'm changing _everything_ I planned from the last chapter onwards. This means all the chapters posted before this announcement will remain unchanged but the upcoming ones will be fresh and new for you _and_ me.

To be honest, I don't want to start posting without having the whole story planned ahead. The climax of the arc is complex and I want to play around with the possibilities to find the development that I like the most. This may take a while though. I dont know how long it will take but I dont want you to consider this as a hiatus. I think more of it as a pause. A pause that will hopefully make me feel more satisfied with my work and give you, my readers, a better and more entertaining story to read.

I hope you guys understand. I want a decent quality story at least, not a half baked plot with words in it.

I promise **I** **will not** **abandon Unpredictable**. I'll work on it as fast as I can without dropping the quality. I hope all of you will still want to read it when I post again.

Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. See you later!

 **TL;DR Version**

 **Dont worry, I don't like long author's note either.**

Story is taking an indefinite pause so author-san can improve the story.

Take care, minna!


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